Related Guides on this Topic
You may also want to see this guide on a related topic: Wellness and Prevention
Introduction
The obesity epidemic is a growing concern in American health care.
Over thirty percent of the adult population is obese, and nearly
two-thirds of the adult population is overweight. Obesity is associated
with greater risk of serious diseases such as diabetes, heart disease,
stroke, and some types of cancer. Being overweight can also result
in social problems such as stigmatization and discrimination. Rural
communities are now experiencing higher rates of obesity and overweight
than urban areas. Rural residents tend to eat diets higher in fat
and calories, exercise less, and watch more television, all of which
can contribute to unhealthy weight gain. Adding to the challenge,
rural communities face barriers to addressing obesity, such as higher
poverty levels, less access to settings, foods, and services that
facilitate physical activity and healthy eating, and limited school
resources to provide nutrition education and physical education.
Sources:
Frequently Asked Questions
Tools
Action for Healthy Kids: Resources to Improve Schools
Database
Searchable database of successful school-based interventions, policies, programs and practices that improve children's health and readiness to learn through better nutrition and physical activity.
Body Mass Index (BMI) Calculator
Web site
Online calculator that determines body mass index (BMI) based on height and weight for adult men and women.
CATCH Texas
Web site
Describes the CATCH (Coordinated Approach to Child Health) health promotion program. Includes information on training, curriculum materials and more.
CDC: Overweight and Obesity
Web site
Overview of overweight and obesity issues. Addresses topics including obesity trends, health consequences, economic consequences and more. Includes links to a variety of resources on obesity.
FASTATS: Overweight
Web site
Basic statistics on the rates of overweight and obesity, with links to more detailed data.
Healthy Weight
Web site
Resources and information about achieving and maintaining a healthy weight as part of an ongoing lifestyle.
Knowledge Path: Overweight and Obesity in Children and Adolescents
Web site
Provides a selection of current, high-quality resources about the identification, prevention, management, and treatment of overweight and obesity in children and adolescents.
Making Health Academic
Web site
Provides information and resources to help state officials, education leaders, health professionals, families, and community leaders establish Coordinated School Health Programs.
MedlinePlus: Obesity
Web site
News, publications and resources addressing the topic of obesity.
MyPyramid: Steps to a Healthier You
Web site
Replaces the original food guide pyramid. Helps in choosing proper foods and amounts by providing an estimate of what and how much is needed to eat based on age, gender, and activity level.
NACCHO's Model Practices Database
Database
Lists effective and innovative public health practices, searchable by state and topic.
Rural Health Research: Obesity
Web site
Provides summaries of current and completed rural health research projects and related publications addressing the topic of obesity, produced by the Office of Rural Health Policy's funded rural health research centers.
We Can!
Web site
Provides resources for parents and caregivers aimed at helping children maintain a healthy weight.
Regulations, Forms & Other Useful Documents
Balance: A Report on State Action to Promote Nutrition, Increase Physical Activity and Prevent Obesity
Sponsoring organization: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Addresses the obesity epidemic in America, with an urban and rural comparison.
Date: 2006
Building Healthier Schools: Local Collaborations to Promote Nutrition and Physical Activity
Sponsoring organization: National Association of County and City Health Officials
Compilation of innovative approaches to collaboration and creative health-promoting activities that resulted from local health department school partnerships.
Date: 02 / 2007
Childhood Obesity
Sponsoring organization: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Provides an overview of childhood obesity in the U.S. with a special emphasis on children at greatest risk: African-American, Latino, Native American, Asian-American and
Pacific Islander children living in low-income communities.
Date: 2008
Does the Built Environment Influence Physical Activity? Examining the Evidence
Sponsoring organization: Institute of Medicine
Discusses the role of the built environment, including buildings, roads, parks, and other structures that physically define a community, in physical activity.
Date: 01 / 2005
Food Stamps and Obesity: Ironic Twist or Complex Puzzle?
Author(s): Michele Ver Ploeg, Lisa Mancino, Biing-Hwan Lin
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
Presents overview of possible relationship between food stamp participation and obesity.
Journal citation: Amber Waves
Date: 02 / 2006
Healthy Communities - Healthy People
Author(s): Julia Hudson
Sponsoring organization: Center for Rural Affairs
Examines what rural communities can do to reverse trends showing rural people, on average, eat less nutritious food, get less physical activity, and are more often obese than their urban counterparts. Presents policy examples involving grocery stores, local
governments, schools, churches, and libraries that could help people lead longer, healthier lives.
Date: 09 / 2009
Local Government Actions to Prevent Childhood Obesity (Full Report)
Sponsoring organization: Institute of Medicine
First in a series of publications dedicated to providing brief, succinct information on childhood obesity prevention specifically for policy makers. Includes statistics and examples of successful programs specific to rural America.
Date: 09 / 2009
Local Government Actions to Prevent Childhood Obesity (Report Brief)
Sponsoring organization: Institute of Medicine
Summarizes report on strategies that local governments can take to help combat and prevent obesity among children and adolescents.
Date: 09 / 2009
Obesity in Rural Communities
Sponsoring organization: National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services
Chapter from the 2005 Report to the Secretary: Rural Health and Human Services Issues. Discusses the impact of the obesity epidemic on rural communities. Includes a brief overview of food insecurity in rural areas.
Date: 04 / 2005
Obesity Policy and the Law of Unintended Consequences
Author(s): Fred Kuchler, Elise Golan, Jayachandran N. Variyam, Stephen R. Crutchfield
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
Discusses some economic policies that have been considered to address the growing obesity problem and the limitations of addressing this complex problem with policies that focus on the food market.
Journal citation: Amber Waves
Date: 06 / 2005
Obesity Prevalence Among Low-Income, Preschool-Aged Children — United States, 1998–2008
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Shows the prevalence of obesity among low-income, preschool-aged children by state, territory, Indian tribal organization, and race/ethnicity.
Date: 07 / 2009
Obesity: America's Economic Epidemic
Author(s): Jason Henderson, Sarah Low
Sponsoring organization: Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City
Identifies how rural America is affected by the obesity epidemic, including its affect on medical bills, insurance premiums, and worker productivity.
Date: 2006
Obesity: Combating a Rural Epidemic
Author(s): Thomas D. Rowley
Sponsoring organization: Rural Assistance Center
Describes how rural Americans are eating more and getting bigger. Mentions several research articles as well as statistics stating that rural populations are getting more and more obese and facing the health care challenges that come along with obesity and overweight.
Journal citation: Rural Monitor Volume 10 Issue 4
Date: 04 / 2004
Overweight and Physical Activity Among Children: A Portrait of States and the Nation, 2005
Sponsoring organization: Health Resources and Services Administration
Provides national and state-level data on children related to overweight, physical activity, and family and neighborhood factors that influence physical activity. Based on findings from the National Survey of Children's Health.
Date: 2005
Overweight and Physical Inactivity among Rural Children Aged 10-17: A National and State Portrait (Fact Sheet)
Sponsoring organization: South Carolina Rural Health Research Center
Brief overview obesity and overweight, physical activity, and weight-related behaviors among rural and urban children.
Date: 2007
Price is Right: Economics and the Rise in Obesity
Author(s): Jayachandran N. Variyam
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
Discusses the increase in obesity and how it relates to economic factors such as declining food prices and increasing cost of leisure activities.
Journal citation: Amber Waves
Date: 02 / 2005
Rural Healthy People 2010: Nutrition and Overweight Concerns in Rural Areas
Author(s): Tom Tai-Seale, Coleman Chandler
Sponsoring organization: Southwest Rural Health Research Center
Addresses rural health issues associated
with the Healthy People 2010 focus area on
nutrition and overweight.
Date: 2003
Rural Healthy People 2010: Nutrition and Overweight Concerns in Rural Areas: A Literature Review
Author(s): Tom Tai-Seale, Coleman Chandler
Sponsoring organization: Southwest Rural Health Research Center
Detailed literature review of rural health issues associated with the Healthy People 2010 focus area on nutrition and overweight.
Date: 2003
Rural Obesity: Strategies to Support Rural Counties in Building Capacity
Sponsoring organization: National Association of Counties
Includes a description of the unique nature of obesity in rural America and recommendations on how the philanthropic community can better support rural communities’ efforts to develop successful obesity prevention policies and programs.
Date: 01 / 2008
What Leads to Obesity in Rural Communities?
Describes the results of a study examining the link between obesity and the environmental factors in rural communities.
Date: 07 / 2006
WIC and the Battle Against Childhood Overweight
Author(s): Michele Ver Ploeg
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
Examines trends in the relationship between WIC participation and weight status by updating the results of Food and Nutrition Assistance Programs and Obesity.
Date: 04 / 2009
Organizations
Action for Healthy Kids (AFHK)
Nonprofit/Foundation
Nationwide initiative dedicated to improving the health and educational performance of children through better nutrition and physical activity in schools. Provides tools and resources to support healthy schools.
American Dietetic Association (ADA)
National organization
ADA is the nation's largest organization of food and nutrition professionals. ADA serves the public by promoting optimal nutrition, health and well-being. ADA members are the nation's food and nutrition experts, translating the science of nutrition into practical solutions for healthy living.
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
Federal government
Conducts and supports research on diabetes, endocrine disorders, digestive diseases, nutrition, urology and renal disease, hematology, and other diseases.
Obesity Society
National organization
Promotes research, education and advocacy to better understand, prevent, and treat obesity and improve the lives of those affected.
Terms & Acronyms
Body Mass Index (BMI) A measure of body weight relative to height. BMI can be used to determine if people are at a healthy weight, overweight, or obese.
Obesity Having too much body fat. An adult with a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher is considered obese.
Overweight Being too heavy for your height, age and build. An adult with a body mass index (BMI) of 25 to 30 is considered overweight.
Success Stories
Daya Tibi "House of Good Living" Wellness Center
Describes a Montana wellness center established to combat the problem of obesity in Native Americans. From Rural Healthy People 2010, Models for Practice.
Sponsoring organization: Southwest Rural Health Research Center
Fort Peck Community College Rural Health Outreach
This Montana outreach project was established to improve the health and fitness level of the tribal adult population of the Fort Peck Reservation and eligible individuals over the age of 14 living adjacent to the reservation.
Sponsoring organization: Office of Rural Health Policy
The HealthWorks Project
Describes
a community wellness program in rural Pennsylvania sponsored by a group of 15 local employers.
Sponsoring organization:
University of Pittsburgh Center for Rural Health Practice
Ho-Chunk Nation Youth Fitness Project
The goal of this Wisconsin program is to prevent,
or at least delay, the onset of type 2 diabetes among people of Ho-Chunk Nation,
an already high-risk ethnic group.
Sponsoring organization: Office of Rural Health Policy
Obesity: Combating a Rural Epidemic
Describes successful programs addressing obesity, including a workplace program in Pennsylvania, a Native American diabetes prevention program in Wisconsin, and a community-based healthy lifestyles program in Wyoming, Idaho and Montana.
Journal: Rural Monitor Volume: 10 Issue: 4
Sponsoring organization: Rural Assistance Center
Physical Dimensions/Focus Program
Describes physical activity programs in Kansas middle and high schools. From Rural Healthy People 2010, Models for Practice.
Sponsoring organization: Southwest Rural Health Research Center
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