SOUTH DAKOTA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, October 20, 2004
CONTACT: Colleen Winter (605) 773-3737

Health Department receives federal grant to target obesity

PIERRE, S.D. – The South Dakota Department of Health will use a $437,000 federal grant to create a statewide nutrition and physical activity program targeted at preventing obesity and other chronic diseases.  

“We know that physical inactivity and unhealthy eating contribute to obesity, cancer, stroke and diabetes and that much of this disease burden is preventable,” said Colleen Winter, Health Promotion Administrator for the department. “If people avoid these unhealthy behaviors, they can reduce their risk of chronic disease and increase their chance of living healthier, longer lives.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, physical inactivity and unhealthy eating are responsible for at least 400,000 preventable deaths each year, second only to tobacco use. They significantly increase the risk of heart disease, cancer and stroke, which are the three leading causes of death in South Dakota, accounting for nearly 60 percent of deaths in South Dakota residents.

Obesity is a growing problem in South Dakota and the nation. In South Dakota more than one-third of school age children are overweight or at risk for overweight and the number of adults who are overweight is nearly 60 percent.

Winter said the funding is a planning grant that will be used to help the department bring together interested partners from across the state to develop a statewide plan for nutrition and physical activity.  Planning will focus on five science-based strategies including increased physical activity, increased fruit and vegetable consumption, decreased TV viewing, increased breast-feeding and improved quality of diet.