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Physical Activity
and Good Nutrition:
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CDC is committed to ensuring that all people, especially those at greater risk for health disparities, will achieve their optimal lifespan with the best possible quality of health in every stage of life. With agency-wide health protection goals that support healthy people in healthy places across all life stages, CDC is setting the agenda to enable people to enjoy a healthy life by delaying death and the onset of illness and disability by accelerating improvements in public health.
The mission of CDC’s Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity (DNPAO) is to lead strategic public health efforts to prevent and control obesity, chronic disease, and other health conditions through regular physical activity and good nutrition. Our goals include the following:
With fiscal year (FY) 2008 funding of $38 million, DNPAO has worked to reduce chronic diseases and obesity through state programs, research, surveillance, training, intervention development and evaluation, leadership, policy and environmental change, communication and social marketing, and partnership development.
In FY 2007, the Nutrition and Physical Activity Program to Prevent Obesity and Other Chronic Diseases (NPAO) funded obesity prevention and control activities in 28 states (http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/obesity/state_programs/funded_states/index.htm). In FY 2008, a new funding announcement will be released. Newly funded states will address the following six target areas:
State efforts will include making policy and environmental changes to encourage access to healthy foods and places to be active, and strengthening obesity prevention and control programs in preschools, child care centers, work sites, and other community settings. All funded states will continue to evaluate their interventions to determine their effectiveness and to guide future efforts. CDC is the federal health authority for the National Fruit and Vegetable Program and a founding member of the National Fruit and Vegetable Alliance. The alliance works to increase access and consumption of all forms of fruits and vegetables to improve public health. DNPAO supports this target area through scientific, partnership, and programmatic efforts. Our programmatic efforts are integrated into the NPAO program.
CDC’s efforts have helped to increase recognition of obesity as a national public health problem. During 2000–2006, the number of articles on obesity published in the national press increased from 2,000 to 6,000 (International Food Information Council). At both state and national levels, increases in the prevalence of obesity appear to be slowing. For example, the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey found no increase in obesity prevalence among women during 1999–2006, and Arkansas reported a modest decrease in the prevalence of overweight among children. The state received support from the NPAO program.
CDC provides consultation and technical assistance to numerous partners, including support to states to develop comprehensive state plans, community interventions, and leadership capacity to address nutrition, physical activity, and obesity. In 2007, CDC worked with the Center of Excellence for Training and Research Translation to sponsor a course on obesity prevention for public health practitioners, including state health departments. In addition, CDC’s annual evaluation workshop included representatives from 13 states not currently receiving cooperative agreement funds.
CDC also continues to work with its longtime partner, the University of South Carolina, as co-sponsor of the Physical Activity and Public Health Courses. In addition, CDC has developed an international course with the International Union of Health Promotion and Education. These courses provide intensive training in physical activity for both public health practitioners and public health researchers.
With support from CDC and other partners, an expert panel released new recommendations as part of a supplement titled Assessment of Child and Adolescent Overweight and Obesity in the journal Pediatrics in June 2007. CDC also worked with the National Initiative for Children’s Healthcare Quality to develop a network to share promising practices and policies in medical settings to reduce childhood obesity (information available at http://www.NICHQ.org).
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CDC supports research to enhance the effectiveness of physical activity and nutrition programs. For example, studies focus on the effectiveness of parent-focused strategies to reduce the time children spend watching television, the home environment and sugar-sweetened beverage consumption, the use of policy interventions to promote physical activity, and the effectiveness of breastfeeding interventions in various settings. CDC disseminates study results via publications and the Web.
CDC translates the results of research for practitioners and the lay public. For example, the Research to Practice Series helps health professionals stay abreast of the emerging science in nutrition, physical activity and obesity. This series provides an overview of the science on a specific topic that includes implications for public health practice. Some installments include a tool geared to a lay audience, which can be used by health professionals in practice to explain concepts correctly and provide practical tips on implementing suggested strategies. Another example of how CDC translates research into practice is The CDC Guide to Breastfeeding, which helps practitioners select effective breastfeeding interventions.
To identify strategies that work sites can use to prevent and control obesity among their employees, CDC is conducting systematic literature reviews, evaluating current programs, and conducting demonstration projects at CDC work sites. Data collected is being translated into products that employers can use to design their own programs (e.g., an interactive Web-based tool).
Evidence-based guidelines for physical activity for youth, adults, and older adults are being developed at the national level. Partners on this project include CDC, the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. CDC is leading the literature review, which will provide the scientific basis for the development of the guidelines.
Through its Pediatric Nutrition Surveillance System (PedNSS) and Pregnancy Nutrition Surveillance System (PNSS), CDC facilitates the collection, analysis, and interpretation of key indicators of child nutritional status and behavioral and nutritional risk factors for low-income pregnant women. An interactive CDC Web site trains people to use these systems.
CDC’s World Health Organization Collaborating Center for Physical Activity and Health Promotion provides global and regional leadership in building capacity for evidence-based public health practice and research related to physical activity and health. In addition, the Universal Flour Fortification Initiative creates global acceptance for fortifying flour with iron, folic acid, and other nutrients.
CDC and its partners will continue to create, evaluate, and modify
programs, policies, and practices to prevent and control obesity. CDC will
expand communication efforts to promote physical activity and good nutrition
in across multiple settings and will work with states and communities on
innovative strategies to promote physical activity and good nutrition. DNPAO
also will work within CDC to provide consistent public health
recommendations and promising practices.
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Page last reviewed: April 15, 2008
Page last modified: April 15, 2008
Content source: National Center for
Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
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