National Association of Chronic Disease Directors Establishes Think Tank to Help States Combat Obesity in Children

Atlanta, Georgia (PRWEB) July 2, 2007 -- The National Association of Chronic Disease Directors (NACDD) is committed to supporting the prevention of obesity and reduction of chronic disease risk factors in children, including smoking, unhealthy diets and lack of physical activity. The benefits of prevention and health promotion are proven: chronic diseases are the most common and costly of all health conditions, yet they are also the most preventable.

Today's environment does not always promote healthy food and physical activity choices. Children are bombarded with marketing messages about snack food and high-calorie beverages at school, home and via internet-based promotions, while recess and daily physical education classes are being eliminated and physical activity, in general, is reduced in daily routines. Our nation's children are facing a burden of chronic diseases, which will impact the quality of their lives, and ultimately, may cripple the U.S. health care system.

As the collective scales of the nation are tipping towards increased diabetes and other serious consequences of excess body weight, obesity is quickly becoming everyone's problem to solve: policymakers, the chronic disease workforce, medical providers, employers and community leaders. The prevalence of obesity cuts across age, gender, race, and ethnicity. Only 28 states currently receive funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for obesity prevention and control programs, but every state grapples with this epidemic.

NACDD is responding to this urgent situation by establishing an NACDD Obesity Workgroup, led by Jennie Hefelfinger, chief of the Bureau of Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion at the Florida Department of Health and member of the NACDD board of directors. It is envisioned to become a "think tank" for state chronic disease programs to exchange ideas for maximizing obesity prevention efforts in state health departments.

NACDD supports states in their chronic disease prevention efforts, including the following success stories demonstrating state prevention efforts related to chronic disease risk factors in children:

* Proven Texas Program Helps Prevent Childhood Obesity

* Illinois Adopts Proven Program to Improve Children's Health

* Utah Schools Achieve Gold Medals in Healthy Behaviors

* Award-Winning (South Carolina) Program Promotes Healthy Eating and

* Physical Activity

* Take 10! Program Gets Kentucky Youth Moving

* North Dakota's School Greenhouse/Garden Project

* Families in Fayette County Shape Healthier Lifestyles

A complete set of state success stories can be found at

http://www.chronicdisease.org If you would like to interview NACDD executive director, John Robitscher, on this or other stories related to chronic disease prevention, please contact Wendy Alpine at (770) 321-6386, or wendy @ alpinepr.com.

About NACDD

The National Association of Chronic Disease Directors is a national public health association, founded in 1988, to link the chronic disease program directors of each state and U.S. territory to provide a national forum for chronic disease prevention and control efforts. NACDD provides state-based leadership and expertise for chronic disease prevention and control at the state and national level. Further information about NACDD is available at www.chronicdisease.org.

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