The goal of the obesity prevention program is to prevent and control obesity and other risk factors related to chronic diseases. To accomplish the goal, the obesity prevention program works to increase healthy eating and physical activity by promoting healthy food choices, fostering policy, system and environmental changes which support health, and developing partnerships and community led interventions to address obesity throughout Virginia. Current activities include:
Providing funding, educational resources, and technical assistance to expand evidence-based obesity prevention activities throughout Virginia;
Collecting, monitoring and disseminating obesity related health data, information, and statistics;
Emphasizing reducing health disparities related to race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, geography, sex, age and disability;
Supporting the implementation of policy, environmental and system change strategies from the National Prevention Strategy, including:
supporting policies and programs that promote breastfeeding;
increasing access to healthy and affordable foods in communities;
implementing programmatic nutrition standards and policies that are consistent with national guidelines in institutions such as school, childcare, worksites;
working with restaurants and others in food industry to provide appropriate portion sizes and to post easy to understand nutrition information at point of purchase;
encouraging and strengthening families' ability to prepare and cook healthy foods at home;
increasing media promotion of accurate information and limiting marketing of unhealthy foods; and
working on community design and development to support physical activity and otherwise facilitating and increasing access to safe, affordable physical activity;
Supporting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's obesity prevention principal target areas to promote healthy lifestyle choices for all residents through:
increasing physical activity;
increasing the consumption of fruits and vegetables while decreasing the consumption of sugar sweetened beverages;
increasing breastfeeding initiation, duration and exclusivity;
reducing the consumption of high energy dense foods; and
Between 2005 and 2011, VDH implemented the CHAMPION program to address the growing overweight and obesity problem in Virginia. CHAMPION, the Commonwealth’s Healthy Approach and Mobilization Plan for Inactivity, Obesity, and Nutrition, targeted Virginia’s communities with tools and evidence-based intervention strategies to reduce obesity and overweight within their respective region and groups. The project was developed through a broad collaborative effort to identify strategies to promote and increase opportunities for physical activity and healthy eating and to prevent and reduce overweight and obesity across the lifespan. The project identified recommendations for actions for communities and effective interventions targeting behavioral, environmental and policy change strategies. Based on the recommendations gathered, four priority areas were identified for obesity prevention:
Between 2009 and 2011, CHAMPION has awarded $336,412 in funding to local health districts, hospitals, schools, and community organizations to implement 31 obesity prevention programs recommended in the CHAMPION Obesity Prevention Plan.
Between 2005 and 2011, VDH implemented the CHAMPION program to address the growing overweight and obesity problem in Virginia. CHAMPION, the Commonwealth’s Healthy Approach and Mobilization Plan for Inactivity, Obesity, and Nutrition, targeted Virginia’s communities with tools and evidence-based intervention strategies to reduce obesity and overweight within their respective region and groups. The project was developed through a broad collaborative effort to identify strategies to promote and increase opportunities for physical activity and healthy eating and to prevent and reduce overweight and obesity across the lifespan. The project identified recommendations for actions for communities and effective interventions targeting behavioral, environmental and policy change strategies. Based on the recommendations gathered, four priority areas were identified for obesity prevention: