Nutrition Update | Eat Smart, Move More…NC

February 2007

News from the PAN Branch

Launch of Newly Designed MyEatSmartMoveMore.com Consumer Site

Eat Smart, Move More North Carolina’s newly redesigned consumer Web site, www.MyEatSmartMoveMore.com is now available. The site is aimed at the general public and offers tips, strategies, resources and interactive tools to help people get on the right track to maintaining a healthy weight.

Some of the great new features that have been added to MyEatSmartMoveMore.com include a body mass index calculator, an “Ask the Expert” section, and a discussion board for visitors to chat with others across the state. In addition to these interactive tools, the site also includes a wealth of information and resources that visitors can use to help them eat smart, move more, and achieve a healthy weight.

The consumer site serves as a complement to our professional site, www.EatSmartMoveMoreNC.com, which will also be redesigned in the coming months

Eat Smart, Move More…NC Key Messages
As Eat Smart, Move More…NC continues to grow and evolve, so does the way that its various partner organizations speak about the movement and its programs, tools, and resources.

These key messages are provided as a reference to allow you to learn more about Eat Smart, Move More…NC. Additionally, they are great resources to help you speak about and respond to questions about Eat Smart, Move More from the media, community organizations, concerned citizens, and anyone else interested in learning more what is being done in North Carolina to address the issue of obesity and related chronic diseases.

The key messages are included at the end of these Updates.

Programs, Projects and Initiatives

See success story section below.

Success Stories

NC USDA Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program Continues to be a Hit with Teachers and Students

U.S. and North Carolina children do not eat enough servings of fruits and vegetables consistent with national recommendations (i.e., Dietary Guidelines, MyPyramid). Increasing access to fruits and vegetables in schools has been shown to increase consumption by students. Evaluation results from one such program, the USDA Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Snack Pilot proved its success, which led to its expansion in the federal Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act of 2004. Now titled the USDA Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP), it provides financial resources to 25 NC elementary schools to provide additional fresh (or dried) fruits and vegetables to students outside of the National School Lunch and Breakfast programs.

Since 2004, North Carolina has been fortunate to participate in the USDA FFVP program. Ensuring that nutrition education about fruits and vegetables occurs throughout the school and community setting as a complementary part of this successful program is easier said than done, but has been a focus in NC due to successful nutrition education and training partnerships. Lead partners at the state level include the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) Child Nutrition Services (which administers the USDA FFVP Program) and the Nutrition Education and Training Program and the Fruit and Vegetable Nutrition (formerly 5 A Day) Program in the Division of Public Health (DPH). These partners provide both staff and financial resources to the program and to the nutrition education resource materials and trainings.

At the local level, selected schools engage various partners both in the school and outside to not only serve the fruits and veggies, but also to ensure children are learning about the benefits of them. Below are several success stories shared by one of the child nutrition directors, teachers and students involved in this program.

Kathryn Faulk, Child Nutrition Director with Whiteville City Schools in Whiteville, NC, sent in these quotes from Ann Benton, pre-K teacher at Whiteville Primary School.

“All my PreK children love eating the fruit and veggies. We offer it throughout the day, from breakfast until dismissal. My children have learned all the names of the fruits and vegetables. They have counted the fruits and vegetables and added them all together. They have learned to sort by category, fruit or veggie, by color, shape, and size. They have learned fractions from watching me slice the fruit and veggies. They are learning about planting from seeds because we have saved the watermelon and pumpkin seeds to plant this spring.”

Ms. Benton goes on to share a story about one of the students in her classroom and the student’s mother.

Nicole is a beautiful child, but is overweight. Nicole’s mother said, “Nicole has lost a lot of weight from eating fruits and vegetables at school. I can tell it in her clothes because I am having to take up all her pants.” And we are walking laps for the “Walk to Wilmington Program”. Nicole told us that her mother said , “To keep on walking!!!”

Nicole told me, “Mrs. Ann my mother and I eat oranges, apples, and grapes for our snack now. And they are so good!” At our pizza party, Nicole said, “My mother told me just to eat one little piece of pizza and then to eat some of our fruit and veggies if I was still hungry.”

Nicole told us her mother said, “I will be so happy when I get older! Because I started eating healthy meals and snacks and walked laps.”

Featured Resources and Research

New Study Reveals Deceptive Packaging in Children’s Foods

On January 26, 2007, the Strategic Alliance released Where’s the Fruit?: Fruit Content of the Most Highly-Advertised Children’s Food and Beverages. Where’s the Fruit?, conducted by staff from Prevention Institute, documents that despite advertising and packaging that boldly suggest the presence of fruit, over half (51 percent) of these children’s food products contain no fruit at all.

In the face of a growing chronic disease epidemic, parents struggling to make healthier purchasing decisions face a plethora of misleading advertising and packaging claims. To support healthy eating habits, food manufacturers need to stop marketing children’s food products as something that they are not and begin providing more nutritious food options.

“This misleading marketing is feeding children’s health crises, such as diabetes and other chronic diseases. Parents are in a rush and when they are drawn to products for their children that are falsely portrayed as healthier, it’s deceptive and wrong,” said Larry Cohen, Executive Director of Prevention Institute, in a recent radio interview.

Strategic Alliance has prepared “Setting the Bar: Actions to Improve Food and Beverage Offerings,” to provide the food and beverage industry with specific recommendations to improve their product offerings and marketing.

Please visit the Strategic Alliance website to access all relevant documents, including:

The complete Where’s the Fruit? study
Setting the Bar: Recommendations for Food and Beverage Industry Action
Press materials, including a press release and a press kit with relevant background material and fact sheets

WHAT IS THE STRATEGIC ALLIANCE?
The Strategic Alliance is reframing the debate on nutrition and physical activity away from a focus on individual choice and lifestyle towards one of environment and corporate and government responsibility. Current Steering Committee members are: California Adolescent Nutrition and Fitness Program (CANFit), California Center for Public Health Advocacy, California Food Policy Advocates, California Pan-Ethnic Health Network, California Parks and Recreation Society, California Project LEAN, California WIC Association, Child Care Food Program Roundtable, Latino Health Access, Partnership for the Public’s Health, Prevention Institute, Samuels & Associates and YMCA of the East Bay.

CA Center for Public Health Advocacy (CCPHA) Releases New Study on Retail Food Environment

On January 19, 2007, CCPHA released Searching for Healthy Food: The Food Landscape in California Cities and Counties. The report documents that in 2005, the state had more than four times as many fast-food restaurants and convenience stores as supermarkets and produce vendors. Two counties (San Bernardino and Sacramento), and two cities (Bakersfield and Fresno), had nearly six times as many fast-food restaurants and convenience stores as supermarkets and produce vendors.

Given the increasing evidence that the foods available in neighborhoods influence what we eat and the likelihood of being obese, CCPHA calls on policy makers to take steps to ensure that every California community has a healthy food environment.

You can access study documents by visiting their web site. For more information contact CCPHA at

530.297.6000 ext.203 (phone)
530.297.6200 (fax)
ap@publichealthadvocacy.org

ABCs of Folic Acid Counseling -New Continuing Education Tutorial

Take a new continuing education (CE) tutorial developed by the Spina Bifida Association with cooperation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A 10 question pretest will help you to find out how much you know.

Continuing education credits will be offered for nurses and health educators, based on 1 hour of instruction. After taking this CE tutorial, you will be able to:

Discuss the general importance of folic acid.
Discuss the folic acid recommendation.
Use the steps in folic acid counseling.
Use 1 minute of folic acid counseling during an interaction with a woman.
Identify women at risk for recurrence of spina bifida or another neural tube defect.
Prepare evaluation plans for folic acid counseling.

Taking folic acid prior to pregnancy can reduce the risk of neural tube defects like spina bifida by up to 70%. You owe it to your patients and to yourself to know everything about folic acid!

Take this informative course and earn continuing education credit. CEUs, CNEs and CHES credits are available. To take the course, go to this site.

CDC Email Update Service Adds 100 New Items

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has added 100 new items for users to subscribe to receive CDC.gov content updates by email. Since launching two months ago, more than 25,000 CDC.gov Email Update subscribers have signed up for a total of more than 260,000 topic subscriptions. The new health-related topics include Cancer Prevention and Control, Occupational Safety & Health, Programs & Grants, Public Health Information Network, HIV/AIDS, STDs, Public Health Genomics, Environmental Health, Vaccines and Immunizations.

Visitors to the CDC Website can sign up to receive email update notifications from CDC.gov by clicking on one of the many Get Email Updates subscription links throughout the website. Email updates are sent when a webpage is updated or whenever a program deems it necessary to notify subscribers about new information. To subscribe, users input their email address and then select topics.

On average, each subscriber to date has selected to receive email updates for 10 subscription items. Topics launched in the earlier phase include: Seasonal Influenza, Avian Flu, Press Releases, Travelers’ Health Recent Notices and Outbreaks, Emergency Preparedness and Response, Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Health Statistics, and Nutrition and Physical Activity.

There are over 200 items now available for subscription, with more being added in the near future. CDC.gov’s Email Update service aids in fulfilling our mission to provide accessible, accurate, relevant, and timely health information.

CDC.gov Email Updates automated email subscription service is provided by GovDelivery, Inc. The GovDelivery Email Subscription Management system has proven effective for other Federal government websites including FirstGov.gov, FBI.gov, and many others.

Subscribe to receive CDC.gov content updates by email.

For more information or to include your content in this new CDC.gov service, please contact Catherine Jamal at 404-498-2481 or Tracy Carter Galloway at 202-690-5707 with the National Center for Health Marketing.

FDA Expands Use of the Nutrient Content Claim “Lean” on Food Labels

On January 11, 2007 the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published a final rule to expand the use of the nutrient content claim “lean” on labels of foods that are categorized as “mixed dishes not measurable with a cup.”

FDA acknowledges that meals-on-the-go have made their way into consumers’ diets as a convenient meal option. With controlled nutrient and portion size, these foods serve a useful purpose in assisting consumers in selecting a diet that is consistent with recommended U.S. Dietary Guidelines.

This rule now allows the food labels of products such as burritos, pizza rolls, egg rolls, and sandwiches, that have less than 8 g total fat, 3.5 g or less saturated fat, and less than 80 mg cholesterol per reference amount customarily consumed (RACC) (140 g), to bear the nutrient content claim “lean.”

Prior to this FDA rule, the nutrient content claim “lean” applied only to seafood and game meat products and meal and main dish products regulated by FDA that meet the criteria set forth by the agency for these categories. USDA has defined the nutrient content claim “lean” for USDA-regulated meat and poultry products, as well.

The final rule is located in dockets, Docket No. 2004P-0183 and is available at this site.

Legislation

No update this month.

Grants/Awards

February 23, 2007 Application Deadline for Fit Community

Round II of a designation and $1 million grant program for North Carolina municipalities and counties.

Designation application materials can be accessed at www.fittogethernc.org, and grant application materials can be accessed at this site. More information is provided in the press release below. Questions and inquires are welcome and can be directed to Active Living by Design (see contact information below).

The Fit Community designation program is sponsored through a public-private partnership of the NC Health and Wellness Trust Fund and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina. The Fit Community grant program is sponsored by the NC Health and Wellness Trust Fund. Active Living by Design is managing the program and provides technical assistance to all applicants and grantees.

Jen Gilchrist Walker
Cara Crisler, MA
Project Manager, Fit Community*
Active Living by Design**
UNC School of Public Health
400 Market Street, Suite 205
Chapel Hill, NC 27516
919-843-3298
fcinfo@activelivingbydesign.org
www.activelivingbydesign.org
*funded by the NC Health & Wellness Trust Fund
**a national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

Fit Community Designations and Grants Promoting Healthy Lifestyles Available to NC Towns and Counties

Fit Together, a partnership of the NC Health and Wellness Trust Fund (HWTF) and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (BCBSNC), released a Request for Proposals (RFP) for a second phase of its Fit Community designation and grants program.

Fit Together, the overweight/obesity prevention campaign of HWTF and BCBSNC, awarded the first phase of grants and designations in May 2006. Eight NC Communities including Durham, Chapel Hill, Greensboro and Asheville received designations. This program rewards municipalities and counties for supporting healthy eating, physical activity, and tobacco-free living through policy, promotions and community infrastructure. Although the designations are a part of the partnership, funding for the grants is provided solely by HWTF.

With escalating numbers of diseases and preventable deaths in North Carolina linked to physical inactivity, poor nutrition and tobacco use, the public health implications of being overweight have become a growing priority for HWTF. These behaviors increase the risks for cardiovascular disease, cancer, obesity, and many other serious chronic illnesses. According to a study commissioned by Be Active NC, expenses associated with obesity alone cost North Carolina $24.1 billion annually.

“HWTF is proud that North Carolina communities are becoming part of the solution by implementing programs that make healthy lifestyles possible for all citizens. A Fit Community designation says to the public we have a cool place to live ‚Äì a healthy place to work, play and go to school. We are a fit community.” said Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue, HWTF chair.

All North Carolina municipalities, counties, and lead agencies that represent municipal or county partnerships and meet specified eligibility criteria outlined in the RFP are eligible to apply for the designation. Eight two-year grants of up to $30,000 annually will be awarded to applicants that demonstrate need, proven capacity, and opportunity for positive change in addressing physical activity and/or healthy eating in North Carolina. HWTF is committed to selecting designees that represent a broad geographic range, diversity of needs, and range of strategies used to address those needs. There is no fee to apply for the Fit Community designation or grant. For more information about the Fit Community program, or to download a Fit Community application, visit www.healthwellnc.com.

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Announces Special Solicitation for Research on Childhood Obesity

Deadline: February 13, 2007

Healthy Eating Research, a national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, supports research on environmental and policy strategies to promote healthy eating among children to prevent childhood obesity, especially among low-income and racial/ethnic populations at highest risk for obesity.

This special solicitation inaugurates a new funding opportunity from RWJF: New Connections grants through the Healthy Eating Research program. New Connections grants are for junior investigators from historically disadvantaged and underrepresented communities who have completed their doctorate or terminal degree within the last seven years. This round of funding focuses on children’s food environments and policies in selected community settings: preschool, child-care, school and after-school environments, as well as nearby food outlets.

To be eligible for this program, an investigator must be a citizen or permanent resident of the United States or its territories and be affiliated with or sponsored by a university or an organization that is tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and is not a private foundation under Section 509(a) of the code. Applicants must be from a group that has been historically disadvantaged and underrepresented in the research activities supported by RWJF (this includes people from ethnic or racial minorities, first-generation college graduates, and people from low-income communities).

A total of up to three New Connections grants will be awarded for two types of research: 1) small-scale studies to identify and evaluate promising food environment and policy changes with the potential to prevent obesity among children (12- to 24-month awards of up to $100,000); and 2) analyses of macro-level policy or system determinants of food environments and policies that relate to the targeted community settings (12- to 24-month awards of up to $75,000).

Visit the RWJF Web site for complete program guidelines and application procedures.

RFP Link here.

For additional RFPs in Health, visit this link.

or contact:
Marjorie Benjamin, Project Director & CHEN List Manager
American School Health Association
7263 State Route 43, P.O.Box 708
Kent, OH 44240
330-678-1601 x 125
Fax 330-678-4526
mbenjami@ashaweb.org

Disney Minnie Grant: Youth Service America (YSA) and Disney

Deadline: January 24, 2007

Youth Service America (YSA) and Disney are accepting applications for the Disney Minnie Grant Program. The purpose of this program is to encourage youth of all ages to get involved in volunteer service projects and programs and help solve community problems by working with their families, schools, friends and neighbors.

Grants of up to $500 will be awarded to support volunteer service projects taking place during April 20-22, 2007. Eligible applicants include: youth, ages 5-14, youth, ages 15-25 who design their own project that engages the younger youth group (ages 5-14), and groups/organizations that work with younger youth.

For complete program information and application guidelines, please visit www.YSA.org/awards.

GoGirlGo! Ambassador Team Awards: Women’s Sports Foundation & Gatorade

Deadline: February 16, 2007

Women’s Sports Foundation and Gatorade are supporting a third year of the GoGirlGo! Ambassador Team Awards. The purpose of the awards is to recognize teams that demonstrate leadership in their communities by inspiring girls to get involved in sports and physical activity.

Twenty grants of $50,000 each are available. Eligible applicants include school, amateur, community and/or nonprofit affiliated teams whose members are female, enrolled in 9-12th grade, at least 13 years old, and residents of the United States.

For complete program information and application guidelines, please visit this site.

Charter School Program: Department of Education

Deadline: February 16, 2007

The Department of Education Office of Innovation and Improvement is accepting applications for its Charter School Program. The purpose of the program is to increase national understanding of the charter school model and to expand the number of high quality charter schools by providing financial aid for the planning, program design and implementation of charter schools.

Ten to twelve grants of up to $500,000 will be awarded. Eligible applicants include state educational agencies with a state statute specifically authorizing the establishment of charter schools.

For complete program information and application guidelines, please visit this site

Training and Professional Development

Nutrition and Physical Activity Teleconferences

Every month, the CDC Division of Nutrition & Physical Activity (DNPA) sponsors a monthly teleconference on a variety of topics, but mostly dealing with nutrition &/or physical activity. The calls are scheduled the 2nd Thursday of each month from 1:30-2:30 p.m. The topic for the February 8, 2007, call will be the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Healthier Worksite Initiative:
Program Overview and Web Site Demonstration presented by Angela J. Bland, MPH - Communication Specialist, Division of Nutrition and Physical Activity. Anyone who would like the handouts or participate in future calls please send an email to NC5ADAY@ncmail.net.

National Diabetes Education Program (NDEP) Partnership Network Meeting

February 27, 2007
Holiday Inn Conference Center
Decatur, Georgia
Online Registration Available December 12

The next NDEP Partnership Network Meeting: “Working Together: NDEP Celebrates a Decade of Partnerships”, will be held as a one-day meeting February 27, 2007 in Decatur, Georgia. Conference goals include:

to facilitate the creation of new NDEP partnerships and strengthen existing collaborations,
to provide a platform to share innovative uses of NDEP products and successful implementations of NDEP programs, and
to provide hands-on, real-world advice on how to effectively promote NDEP messages, materials, and partnerships.

Meeting and hotel registration for the Partnership Network Meeting begins December 12 and can be made online using the meeting website.

ACHI’s New Orleans Community Health Conference

March 7-9, 2007
New Orleans, Louisiana

The Association for Community Health Improvement’s national conference will take place March 7-9, 2007, in New Orleans, Louisiana.

The Association for Community Health Improvement (ACHI) is a professional association with members focused on health promotion, disease prevention, health care coverage, community benefit and healthy communities. Conference participants from hospitals, public health departments, community clinics, healthy community groups and health foundations will be in attendance, seeking shared solutions to their common health challenges.

The event will feature more than 35 sessions in four topic tracks, including:

Maximizing Access to Care
Innovating for Community-based Chronic Disease Prevention
Achieving Community Benefit Excellence
Leading Community Health Assessments with Impact

Learn more about this premier community health educational and networking opportunity by following the links below:

Info and Registration
Brochure
Detailed Schedule

Prevention Research Centers Annual Program Meeting: Achieving Dissemination Success

March 12-14, 2007
Westin Peachtree Plaza
Atlanta, Georgia

This year’s meeting, focusing on dissemination research and the dissemination of effective interventions, will advance the discussion among the Prevention Research Centers, CDC programs, public health agencies, and communities concerned with getting proven practices into wide use. Contribute to a lunchtime roundtable discussion, join the town hall meeting, or hear the latest developments on research progress around the country. Leading investigators from all 33 Prevention Research Centers will be present.

Program highlights are below; the full agenda will be distributed by February 1

DAY 1:
Ancillary meetings by invitation only.
Full-day communications workshop
Meetings of the cardiovascular health network and a proposed Latino health network
Meeting of the PRC National Community Committee

DAY 2:
Keynote speaker Lawrence W. Green of the University of California at San Francisco
Fast-tracking interventions through collaboration among academia, public agencies, and funding organizations
Dissemination research: the state of the science
Recommendations for addressing health disparities
WHO/PAHO’s regional strategy for non-communicable diseases

DAY 3:
Semi-annual PRC business meeting
Report from the National Community Committee
Presentations by PRC Program minority fellows
Discussion of community readiness

For further information contact the program office at ccdinfo@cdc.gov.

Third National Farm to Cafeteria and Food Policy Conference: “From Cafeterias to Capitol Hill - Growing Healthy Kids, Farms and Communities”

March 16-19, 2007
Radisson Plaza Lord Baltimore
Baltimore, Maryland

Join hundreds of farm to cafeteria and food policy enthusiasts to share experiences, and get the latest, up-to-date info on institutional purchasing - on both the organizing and policy perspectives. A major focus of the conference will be issues related to the Farm Bill, including farm to cafeteria and beyond. On Monday, attendees will have the opportunity to visit with their elected representatives on Capitol Hill.

More conference information will soon be available. Check for updates at this site.

2007 CDC - Division of Cancer Prevention and Control’s (DCPC) Cancer Conference: “Meeting Future Challenges”

August 13-16, 2007
Atlanta Hyatt Regency
Atlanta, Georgia

The biannual meeting of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Cancer Conference: “Meeting Future Challenges” will be held on August 13-16, 2007, in Atlanta, Georgia. The conference theme of Meeting Future Challenges will be addressed by four days of presentations and discussions on key issues related to CDC’s vital mission of cancer prevention and early detection. The opening plenary session on August 13th will be followed by Day Sessions on Building Partnerships (August 14th), Workforce Development and Policy (August 15th), and Emerging Technologies (August 16th).

By attending this conference, you will learn how you can help:

Expand the public health role in cancer prevention, detection, treatment, rehabilitation and palliation.
Develop a coordinated approach to reduce cancer morbidity and mortality.
Build partnerships and use research findings to support comprehensive cancer control objectives.
Implement interventions recommended by The Guide to Community Preventive Services.
Prepare for changes in public health workforce needs.
Plan for the integration of emerging tools and technologies in cancer prevention and control programs.

For more information visit this site.

Join us as we discuss new ways to meet future challenges in cancer prevention and control by building partnerships, anticipating workforce and policy needs, and integrating emerging technologies.

2007 National Health Education Conference & SOPHE’s 2007 Midyear Scientific Conference: “The Changing Face of Health Education and Health Promotion”

June 7-9, 2007
Seattle, Washington
Call for Abstract Submissions

You are invited to be part of a premier national health education and health promotion conference cosponsored by the Directors of Health Promotion and Education (DHPE), Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) at the 2007 National Health Education Conference & SOPHE’s 2007 Midyear Scientific Conference, June 7-9, 2007, in Seattle, WA.

The conference theme, “Changing Face of Health Education and Health Promotion” speaks to breaking down sub-categories within the profession such as infectious vs. chronic, global health vs. domestic health that serve as barriers to progress. This conference will encourage re-conceptualizing health education and health promotion programs, research and practice to cross over professional boundaries and seek an integrated approach to solving health education challenges. Abstract proposals from all professionals and public health partners involved in health education, health promotion, health communication, community health, and behavioral research are encouraged to respond to this invitation.

For more information visit: www.sophe.org.

2007 FNCE Call for Abstracts NOW OPEN!

The 2007 Food & Nutrition Conference & Expo Call for Abstracts has moved to an online format! Visit www.eatright.org/fnce2007 for details and to submit your abstract electronically.

The deadline for submission is Tuesday, February 27, at 11:59 p.m. Central time.

Abstracts may be submitted either as research or a program/project for poster presentations. Additionally, some abstracts will be selected for oral presentation (original contributions) in the following categories:

Diet and Genetics
Strategies for Lifestyle Changes
Measuring Effectiveness and Benefits of Nutrition Intervention
Dietetics Management and Leadership

Submitters may designate their abstracts for Original Contribution if they wish to be considered for oral presentation.

All research must be complete at time of submission. For further information and instructions, please visit the website at the above link. Text of abstracts may be keyed in at the site or uploaded from existing files.

If you have questions, please call Eileen Joschko, Manager, Professional Development at 312-899-4895 or 800-877-1600, ext. 4895.

2007 APHA Annual Meeting - Call for Abstracts

The American Public Health Association is announcing the Call for Abstracts for the 2007 Annual Meeting to be held November 3-7, in Washington, DC. The theme of the meeting is “Politics, Policy & Public Health.”

We encourage abstracts in all areas of public health and are also interested in abstracts that focus on the Annual Meeting theme. Abstracts should be no more than 250 words and must include learning objectives.

All abstracts must be submitted online. An easy to use online form will walk you through the process step-by-step. The site is now opened so you may link directly to the abstract submission form through the APHA website.

Authors must provide complete and accurate contact information in order to be notified of abstract status. You do not have to be a member of APHA to submit an abstract, however, if your abstract is accepted, presenting authors must become an Individual member as well as register for the Annual Meeting.

The deadline for submission of abstracts range from February 5 to February 9, 2007, depending on the Section, SPIG or Caucus to which you wish to submit. All submissions will end at 11:59 pm (Pacific Standard Time) on the due date listed on the Call for Abstracts.

Eat Smart, Move More…North Carolina Key Messages
January 2007

WHAT IS IT?

Eat Smart, Move More…North Carolina is a statewide movement that encourages healthy eating and physical activity wherever people live, learn, earn, play and pray.

We use research-based, simple solutions to make healthy eating and physical activity the norm rather than the exception in North Carolina.

We encourage individuals to think differently about what they eat and how much they move, and to make choices that will help them feel good and live better.

We want communities, schools and businesses to make it easy for people to eat healthy food and be physically active.

WHY DO WE HAVE IT?

Physical activity and healthy eating benefit all North Carolinians by improving the quality of their lives and saving tax dollars.

Maintaining an active lifestyle and choosing healthy foods help North Carolinians feel good about themselves, and improves the quality of their lives.

Obesity and chronic disease cost our state more than $24 billion annually in medical care and lost productivity. For every man, woman and child in the state, that’s more than $2,800 each year, or almost $8.00 every single day.

People who eat smart, move more and maintain a healthy weight reduce their risk for serious health problems such as diabetes, cancer and heart disease.

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

Make your community a place where you can eat smart and move more.

Eat Smart Move More reminds you to make better decisions in your life about healthy eating and physical activity.

You can also ask your community, school or business to make it easier for you to eat smart and move more.

Visit www.MyEatSmartMoveMore.com for information to help you learn how to Eat Smart and Move More wherever you live, learn, earn, play and pray.