In conjunction with Healthy America Week, on May 3, 2006, Governor Jon Huntsman, Jr. and Mrs. Huntsman announced the launch of Tipping the Scales Toward a Healthier Population: The Utah Blueprint to Promote Healthy Weight for Children, Youth, and Adults.
In presenting the Blueprint Governor Jon Huntsman, Jr., said, "Through the leadership and collaboration recommended in the Blueprint, I expect that by 2010, we will see a decrease in childhood and youth overweight and no increase in the obesity rates for adults."
What is in the Blueprint?
The Blueprint offers a comprehensive, statewide obesity prevention agenda, building on initiatives and efforts already underway in many settings in Utah. The focus is on
policy and environmental changes that support Utahns making healthier choices every day to improve physical activity and eating patterns.
- Vision: The healthy choice is the easy choice at home, school, work, and play in Utah.
- Goal: Utah’s families, communities, schools, worksites, media, health care providers, and government will assume active roles in addressing childhood and youth overweight and adult obesity.
- Expected Outcomes by January 31, 2010:
- Decrease the percent of Utah children who are overweight by 10%, from 12.3% in 2002 to 10.8%. Source – Utah Department of Health childhood (kindergarten-6th grade) height and weight surveillance studies conducted 2002, 2006, 2008, and 2010.
- Decrease the percent of Utah youth who report being overweight by 10%, from 6.3% in 2003, 2005 to 5.7%. Source – Utah State Office of Education/Utah Department of Health, Youth Risk Behavior Survey. (Grades 9 to 12)
- No increase in the percent of Utah adults who report being obese, 22.1% in 2005. Source – Utah Department of Health, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (adults 18 and older)
Next Steps
The Utah Blueprint to Promote Healthy Weight for Children, Youth, and Adults is just that – a blueprint. Additional steps are needed to bring the Blueprint to life and to achieve
full implementation, including:
- Solicit the names of the individuals who will represent the organizations in leadership teams.
- Convene leadership teams for each setting:
- Families
- Schools
- Communities
- Worksites
- Health Care
- Media
- Government
The initial meeting to form these leadership implementation teams was held on September 25, 2006 at the Governor's mansion and hosted by Governor and Mrs. Hunstman. Community leaders and their organizations were invited to form a private/public/community partnership to create healthy choices where Utahns live, learn, work, and play. Please see the News page for the agenda, speaking points, and PowerPoint presentations.
Community partners who agreed to participate in the Blueprint implementation teams attended a follow-up meeting on February 1, 2007 and discussed how to proceed together to achieve the strategies and outcomes in the Blueprint. It was at this meeting the community partners agreed to name this initiative – both themselves as a coalition and the to-be-incorporated nonprofit organization – the Utah Partnership for Healthy Weight.
The Partnership coalition members meet quarterly and bring together leaders in Utah who can implement a comprehensive, coordinated approach to promote healthy weight in children, youth, and adults. If you would like to participate in this process,
Contact:
Richard Bullough, PhD
Utah Department of Health
Bureau of Health Promotion
rbullough@utah.gov
(801) 538-9291
“The major health problems of our time will not be solved merely by individual actions aimed at individuals, but by individuals coming together to make our society one in which healthy choices are easy,
fun, and popular. Communities where policies and environment focus on the latter approach will be healthier and more satisfying places to live, work and play.”
James S. Marks, MD, MPH
Former Director, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
See the The Surgeon General's Call to Action to Prevent & Decrease Obesity, 2001 (599KB PDF)
