You’ve probably heard the statistics about 2/3 of Americans being overweight or obese. This problem doesn’t escape Chatham County. In fact, according to the 2006 Behavior Risk Factor Surveillance Survey, 59.4% of adults in the Chatham/Lee/Moore region were overweight or obese.
Our kids aren’t doing much better. The 2008 North Carolina Nutrition and Physical Activity Surveillance System (NC-PASS) states that 36.4% of Chatham County children seen in North Carolina Public Health sponsored WIC, child health clinics, and school based health centers were overweight or obese.
Healthy Chatham coalition took the lead on the Board of Commissioners’ 2010 fiscal year goal of coordinating obesity prevention efforts in Chatham County.
Healthy Chatham and the Chatham County Public Health Department brought together stakeholders working on and interested in obesity prevention. Representatives from local government, Chatham Hospital, Chatham County School system, agencies, non-profits, and community members convened for a series of meetings.
The three meetings were held between July and December 2009. The purpose was to identify existing obesity prevention programs, figure out how to better coordinate efforts, and develop ideas to recommend to the Board of Commissioners.
As a result of the meetings, stakeholders created four recommendations that would address obesity at multiple levels.
The recommendations are:
- Establish a New County Position Focusing on Obesity
- Implement a Community Social Marketing Campaigns
- Develop Infrastructure to Support Healthy Lifestyles
- Encourage More Cooperation between Schools and the Community
Much more information is included in the full report. Check out the Chatham County 2009 Obesity Prevention Retreat Final Report and Recommendations.
