News
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WEST VIRGINIA: SIGNS OF PROGRESS TOWARD REVERSING THE CHILDHOOD OBESITY EPIDEMIC
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
A series of evaluations led by the West Virginia University Health Research Center suggests that schools have made progress to implement the mandates of the Healthy Lifestyles Act and the West Virginia Standards for School Nutrition. Food service directors, superintendents, and school nurses generally support the changes made throughout the state’s schools and believe they’ll contribute to a healthier lifestyle for students. The reports also show that students are drinking soda and eating fast food less frequently—and drinking milk and eating the recommended number of fruits and vegetables more frequently.
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WVU RESEARCHER TO LEAD EVALUATION OF WEST VIRGINIA HEALTH INSURANCE MARKETPLACE
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
The West Virginia University Health Research Center at the West Virginia University School of Public Health, in collaboration with the Health Policy Division of the West Virginia Offices of the Insurance Commissioner, will implement a five-year evaluation of the implementation, impact, and outcomes of the West Virginia Health Insurance Marketplace, a key element of the United States Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
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GROUP WORKS TO ‘CHANGE THE FUTURE’ OF WEST VIRGINIA
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Healthy choices aren't always the easiest but one group is working to "change the future" by providing more convenient ways to stay active and have a balanced diet.
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W.VA. PROJECT CALLED 'MODEL FOR RURAL AMERICA'
Monday, September 17, 2012
A top Centers for Disease Control official called West Virginia's "Change the Future WV" project on Monday "a model for rural America in the effort to end the obesity and chronic disease epidemics." "We point to this project as an example for rural areas," Rebecca Bunnell, acting director of CDC's Community Health Division, said at a meeting convened Monday to discuss ways the state can build on the project. The $4.5 million project started two years ago, funded by the Centers for Disease Control through the state Bureau of Public Health. "Our challenge was to create healthier communities by changing the environment," said Joe Barker, who oversaw it. "West Virginia has very disturbing statistics for both children and adults," Bunnell said. "This project shows that you can mobilize people in communities to make a true difference." "Instead of telling people to eat healthier and be fit, we tried to make it easier by expanding the choices around them," said Tom Bias of West Virginia University's Health Research Center, which is evaluating the project. One by one, speakers described the impact of the project, which the Mid-Ohio Valley Health Department operated in six counties. "When the Change the Future project asked if community people could use the schools after hours for fitness activities, I immediately said yes," said Daniel Metz, the Wirt County Superintendent of Schools.
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LEADERS MEET IN CHARLESTON AS PART OF 'CHANGE THE FUTURE WV' PROGRAM
Monday, September 17, 2012
Leaders from across West Virginia met in Charleston on Monday to get a progress report on the "Change the Future West Virginia" program.
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CHANGE THE FUTURE PROMOTES EXERCISE
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
During a conference at The Resort at Glade Springs Monday, Change the Future WV shared the progress they have made promoting healthy eating and exercise in Mid-Ohio Valley counties, success they hope other counties will adopt as part of the West Virginia’s Community Transformation Grant.
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PROJECT TO MAKE RESIDENTS HEALTHIER COMING TO HARRISON COUNTY AREA
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Salem’s Bobbie Schumacher wants more sidewalks. Mary Chapman of Braxton County wants ideas for an even healthier senior center. Health-conscious locals found like-minded people Wednesday at the Bridgeport Conference Center with a central goal — better health. As four health departments in the state roll out a project to make West Virginia residents healthier, an $8 million Community Transformation Grant over five years should help. The grant continues and expands a project for improving public health in the Mid-Ohio Valley that began 2010. The effort should start in the Harrison County area before the new year, according to John D. Yauch, project director for Change the Future WV. The Change the Future WV project in the Mid-Ohio Valley was funded through a federal $4.5 million grant. There were 50 sites nationwide, Yauch said. The project increased physical activity among students, constructed walking trails, grew new farmers markets and replaced unhealthy snacks at grocery store checkouts, among other efforts. “We impacted the youngest up to the oldest people,” Yauch said, estimating that tens of thousands benefited from the two-year project. Even stores for one big-box retailer in Charleston transformed a check-out aisle into a showcase of healthy food, magazines and exercise equipment like jump ropes, Yauch said.
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MAKING HEALTHY CHOICES EASIER IN HUNTINGTON
Monday, August 20, 2012
It's no secret that obesity in our area is a growing problem, but a group of organizations is trying to eliminate it by making healthy choices easier. Nearly 15 organizations met to discuss ways to make changes in the community that impact the way we live, according to John Yauch with Change the Future of West Virginia. Yauch says this program focuses on changing our environment instead of changing individual behavior. "Obesity rates in the last probably 15 to 20 years have really sky rocketed and trying to work on individual behavior alone hasn't been working that's why we're trying to focus on more of a population health based approach so people can go out and have access to physical activity and access to healthier foods," Yauch said. The plan centers around providing more biking and walking paths as well as more farmer's markets.
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OVERCOMING OBESITY
Thursday, August 16, 2012
"The bottom line is the environments are not conducive to physical activity and healthy eating. And that needs to change and that's what we're working on here at the Mid-Ohio Valley," says John Yauch, outreach specialist for the West Virginia Bureau of Public Health.
