Healthiest Weight Florida

What is Healthiest Weight Florida 

The number one public health threat to Florida's future is unhealthy weight.

Currently, only 36 percent of Floridians are at healthy weight. On our current trend, by 2030, almost 60 percent will be obese. Additionally, six out of ten children born today will be obese by the time they graduate high school.

Over the next 20 years in Florida, obesity is expected to contribute to millions of cases of preventable chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease and cancer, costing an estimated $34 billion. To address this important public health issue, the Department of Health launched the Healthiest Weight Florida initiative in January 2013.

Healthiest Weight Florida is a public-private collaboration bringing together state agencies, not for profit organizations, businesses, and entire communities to help Florida's children and adults make choices about healthy eating and active living. For more information about Healthiest Weight Florida, go to http://www.healthiestweightflorida.com/index.html

Health Tips for You and Your Family 

Health problems like obesity, diabetes, and high blood pressure are becoming more and more common in both children and adults. These health problems cause poor quality of life, lower life expectancy, and increased healthcare costs. Many factors affect your health. Although you can’t control all of them, there are lifestyle changes you can make. Taking steps toward better health gives you the foundation for a longer, happier life. Healthy eating and active living are two of the most valuable ways to improve your health.

Many kids are spending less time exercising and more time in front of the TV, computer, or video-game console. And today's busy families have fewer free moments to prepare nutritious, home-cooked meals. From fast food to electronics, quick and easy is the reality for many people.

Preventing kids from becoming overweight means adapting the way your family eats and exercises, and how you spend time together. Helping kids lead healthy lifestyles begins with parents who lead by example

What is Dixie County doing to Prevent Obesity? 

Examples Include: 

1. Working with local Early Childcare Education Centers (ECEs) to enhance healthy eating and physical activity standards

Most young children spend time during the day in child care and early education programs, family child care settings or in preschool. Providers have a great opportunity to help children by incorporating 5 healthy goals in their programs. These include nurturing healthy eaters, providing healthy beverages, increasing physical activity, limiting screen time and supporting breastfeeding. In order to meet these goals, a local partnership is currently working with all Early Childcare Education Centers in the county to register for the Let's Move Child Care (LMCC) campaign. Providers who fully meet these best practices are rewarded with a certificate of completion and featured on a map of recognized providers.

Let’s Move! Child Care (LMCC) is part of First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! initiative to prevent childhood obesity. LMCC encourages and supports child care and early education providers to make positive changes in their programs in order to work toward a healthier future for children. LMCC offers childhood obesity prevention resources and tools to assist child care and preschool providers. For more information about the Let's Move Child Care (LMCC), go to https://healthykidshealthyfuture.org/.

2. Promoting the 5-2-1-0 Campaign in Schools

5 or more fruits and vegetables

2 hours or less recreational screen time*

1 hour or more of physical activity

0 sugary drinks, more water

*Keep TV/Computer out of the bedroom. No screen time under the age of 2.

This campaign highlights a healthy fruit or vegetable, its characteristics and nutritional value, how it is grown and when this food is harvested in Florida. Focusing on specific fruits and vegetables raises awareness among peers in the classroom.  For more information, please visit http://www.letsgo.org/.