Guest Blogger: Grace Henscheid, Grassroots Advocacy Director
In early September the State of Obesity Report from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Trust of America’s Health was released and it is clear there is still much work to be done in our fight against obesity.
While there are many statistics in the report, one of the numbers that stood out to us was the obesity rate in Nevada. In 2013, Nevada ranked the 40th highest obesity rate in the nation with an adult obesity rate of 26.2%.
We were happy to see that our obesity rate is no longer climbing but in order to lower it we need to build communities that encourage healthy eating and active lifestyles. One of the programs the American Heart Association offers for free to people that are trying to improve their health is the “Life’s Simple 7” program. This program helps participants to manage heart health by understanding the importance of getting active, controlling cholesterol, eating better, managing blood pressure, losing weight, reducing blood sugar and stopping smoking.
While the news about Nevada’s obesity rate is encouraging it is still far too high. Now that we have managed to stop the rise we need to take the next step and work to decrease the obesity rate. With help from advocates like you we believe it is a battle we can win. If you are interested in seeing how you can get involved, please contact Josh Brown at [email protected].
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