Eat Smart, Move More Community Grants
What
Twenty projects funded through special grants to create community opportunities for increased physical activity and healthy eating have been awarded to local health departments in North Carolina. The community grants totaling over $300,000 come from the N.C. Division of Public Health to promote healthier lifestyle in support of the Eat Smart, Move More….North Carolina initiative.
Why
Obesity and chronic disease continue to increase in all age groups, races, and genders in North Carolina. The absence of healthy eating habits and physical activity are major contributors to the epidemic of overweight children and adults in North Carolina.
Where
The North Carolina counties selected to receive these awards are Watauga (Appalachian Health District), Brunswick, Buncombe, Caldwell, Catawba, Davie, Durham, Gaston, Granville (Granville-Vance Health District), Haywood, Hertford, Iredell, Jackson, Lenoir, Macon, Madison, Person, Pitt, Robeson and Swain.
Who and How
The Eat Smart, Move More...North Carolina initiative works in conjunction with local community groups, local heath departments, colleges and universities, schools, hospitals, nonprofit organizations, professional organizations and others who can contribute to the cause for a healthy North Carolina for all ages.
North Carolina is one of the first states to develop extensive plans to increase residents’ healthy eating and physical activity behaviors through shifts in policy and community environments.
Examples
- Caldwell County This project will build a trail connecting Hudson Elementary and Hudson Middle Schools and the adjoining neighborhoods to the Town of Judson’s Barton and Estoy Educational Forest and Redwood Park. This connector trail will allow students to use the paved trail for physical activity as well as provide them with a path to use to walk to school.
- Robeson County The Robeson County Health Department and the Public Schools of Robeson County Child Nutrition Program will partner to implement the identification of healthy food choices in all 40 local schools. Three local schools will conduct a campaign promoting low-fat milk and a program encouraging healthy substitutions in place of candy rewards. A partnership will be established with two local schools PTA/PTO’s to adopt a healthy fundraising policy.
- Person County Person County Health Department is collaborating with Zion Christian Center/Zion Christian Academy to establish a supportive physical activity environment. This project will establish a walking track, implement physical activity programs in middle schools, offer information to families on eating smart and moving more, distribute newsletters with health promotion messages and advocate for policy and environmental change throughout the community.
For more information please visit
www.EatSmartMoveMoreNC.com
Sheree Thaxton Vodicka
(919) 707-5217
sheree.vodicka@ncmail.net
