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Portage awarded grant to fight obesity

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November 20, 2008

The Portage County Health Department is one of only 14 Ohio health departments to receive state funds to reduce the risk of obesity in the local population.
The Healthy Ohio Obesity Prevention grant was fully funded in the amount of $85,000 and will support collaborative obesity-fighting efforts of the Portage County Health Department, Robinson Memorial Hospital's Health Education Center, Robinson Health Affiliates, Kent State University, and the Portage County Community Health Center. Overall, Ohio ranks as the fifth heaviest state in the nation.
Health authorities say poor nutrition and physical inactivity are driving an obesity epidemic that leads to preventable illness such as heart disease and diabetes as well as skyrocketing health care costs.
"We want to increase opportunities for more physical activity while improving access to nutritious foods and motivating citizens to lead healthier lives," said Dr. Angela DeJulius, Portage County Health Department medical director.
Programs funded by the grant will promote healthy behaviors through family, school and health care settings.
Nearly four out of ten Ohio residents are overweight and three out of ten are obese.
In Portage County, 40 percent of children are overweight and 22 percent are considered obese. During their youth, overweight children and adolescents are more likely to have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and Type 2 diabetes than children of a healthy weight.
"If a child is obese, it sets him or her up for a lifelong struggle with health problems like heart disease and diabetes," said Suzanne Hughes, MSN, RN, director, Robinson Memorial Health Education Center. "We have to remember that children are not preparing their own food, so we need to work with families and schools on healthy eating and exercise programs."
Locally, the grant will provide direct services and resources to Portage County residents, schools and physicians. The grant also will create a county-wide Obesity Prevention Coalition. As part of the coalition:
Robison Memorial will deliver obesity prevention resources to primary care physicians.
Kent State University will expand its nutrition and physical activity group education programs for schools and families.
The Portage County Health Department will advocate strengthening health-related school policies.
The partners will expand research that measures the prevalence of overweight and obese in Portage County.
For more information or to participate in the coalition, please contact Jodie Luidhardt of the Kent State Nutrition Outreach Program at 330-672-2063.




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    Posted by DoWhatsRight November 20, 2008
Well here we go again. Grant money to the wrong place. If they want to reduce obesity, use the money to finance a YMCA or something. Give the people a place to go and play, one that they can afford.

There is no place an adult can go to exercise, except perhaps walk the park paths, but in the winter it is too cold, not plowed and unsafe for a senior alone. If a senior becomes ill on the path there is no way for him to call for help. Give the people a place to pay basketball, volleyball, etc. Make it exciting enough to compete with the video games. This crap about KSU changing their eating recommendations etc. it that just crap. The kids and the adults are going to eat what they like. The problem is not so much the eating, but the lack of play. We keep our kids inside for fear of them getting hurt. I remember as a kid playing ball in a vacant lot until dark. In the winter, the Armory was open for basketball, free of charge. There was skating there on Saturday morning until noon, and again at night. This built strong bodies not fat ones. Today, we want hardly let our kids run for fear of them falling and skinning their knee.

Put the money in something that encourages exercise as fun. Not to some academic stooge who comes out with a lot useless theories.

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