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Related Guides on this Topic

You may also want to see this guide on a related topic: Obesity and Weight Control

Introduction

Wellness is an active, lifelong process of becoming aware of choices and making decisions toward a more balanced and fulfilling life. Healthy People 2010 is a national agenda for reducing the most significant preventable threats to health. It challenges all of us to take the first step to enjoying good health and a long life. It aims to reduce the major health burdens created by obesity, diabetes, asthma, cancer, heart disease and stroke. It addresses related lifestyle choices of poor nutrition, physical inactivity, and tobacco use, as well as youth risk-taking behavior.

Rural Healthy People 2010 focuses on the health challenges faced by rural Americans. The primary goal of this project is to identify and address the priority health concerns of rural America.

Poor diet, physical inactivity, and tobacco use are the major preventable causes of death in the United States. With the increasing health problems related to poor lifestyle choices, there is an emphasis on wellness programs and disease prevention. Wellness and disease prevention are particularly issues for rural areas, which have higher rates of elderly individuals, higher poverty rates, and limited access to health care facilities to provide care and health education.

Frequently Asked Questions

Tools

Active Living by Design
Web site
Is a national program that establishes innovative approaches to increase physical activity through community design, public policies and communications strategies. Is funding 25 community partnerships across the country to demonstrate how changing community design will impact physical activity.
Sponsoring organization: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

CDC's Healthy Communities Program
Web site
An initiative that advances the HealthierUS goal of helping Americans live longer, better, and healthier lives.
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Community Health Status Indicators (CHSI)
Web site
Designed to inform public health professionals and community members about state- and county-level health status indicators such as: causes of death, tobacco use, diet, physical activity, and drug and alcohol use. Available reports also include Healthy People 2010 targets and information on vulnerable populations, access to care, and much more.
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Healthfinder
Database
Links to information and web sites from over 1,600 health-related organizations. Has been recognized as a key resource for finding the best government and nonprofit health and human services information on the Internet.
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Healthy People 2010
Web site
Healthy People 2010 is a set of health objectives for the Nation to achieve over the first decade of the new century. It can be used by many different people, States, communities, professional organizations, and others to help them develop programs to improve health.
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Healthy People 2010 Toolkit
Web site
Provides guidance, technical tools, and resources to help states, territories, and tribes develop and promote successful state-specific Healthy People 2010 plans.
Sponsoring organization: Public Health Foundation

MedlinePlus: Health Screening
Web site
Provides information about screening tests or exams done to find a condition before symptoms begin such as cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and osteoporosis.
Sponsoring organization: National Library of Medicine

MedlinePlus: Healthy Living
Web site
Contains a variety of wellness resources including latest news, overviews, screening, health check tools, nutrition, and related issues.
Sponsoring organization: National Library of Medicine

National Diabetes Education Program (NDEP)
Web site
Designed to reduce the morbidity and mortality associated with diabetes through information, prevention campaigns and educational tools. NDEP is a federally funded program sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Physical Activity and Healthy Eating for Rural Young and Adult Women
Web site
Resources to encourage women living in rural areas to increase current levels of physical activity, healthy eating, and communication with their health care providers to set goals for behavioral changes.
Sponsoring organization: HRSA Office of Women's Health

Rural Active Living Assessment (RALA) Tools
Web site
Offers the ability to assess the physical environment features and amenities, town characteristics, community programs, and policies that could potentially influence levels of physical activity among residents in rural communities.
Sponsoring organization: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

Rural Health Research: Health promotion and disease prevention
Web site
Provides summaries of current and completed rural health research projects and related publications addressing the topic of health promotion and disease prevention, produced by the Office of Rural Health Policy's funded rural health research centers.
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Research Gateway

Rural Healthy People 2010: Volumes 1, 2, 3
Web site
Includes links to the publication including Volumes 1, 2, and 3. Volume 1 contains brief overviews of the top rural health priority areas as well as associated Models for Practice. Volume 2 contains in-depth literature reviews for each of the top rural health priority areas. Volume 3 contains overviews, literature reviews, and accompanying models for practice for new focus areas.
Sponsoring organization: Southwest Rural Health Research Center

School Breakfast Program
Web site
Provides cash assistance to States to operate nonprofit breakfast programs in schools and residential childcare institutions.
Sponsoring organization: USDA Food and Nutrition Service

Workplace Ergonomics Quick Reference Guide
Web site
Provides quick reference illustrations of proper workstation ergonomics. Ensuring proper ergonomics in the workplace is a smart business decision because it increases employee productivity and satisfaction.
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Department of Defense

Funding

American Recovery Reinvestment Act of 2009 Communities Putting Prevention to Work
Funding to reduce risk factors, prevent/delay chronic disease, promote wellness in children and adults, and provide positive, sustainable health change in communities.

Champ A Champion Fur Kids Grants
Grants for children’s health and wellness.

CIGNA Foundation Grants
Targeted grants in five areas: Health of Women, Children & Families, Obesity Awareness & Prevention, Patient/Doctor Communications & Health Literacy, Disparities in Health Care, and Connection Between a Healthy Mind & Body.

Regional Community Health Grants Program
This program provides funding focused on reducing disparities in health care among racial and ethnic populations in eligible geographic areas.

Wal-Mart National Giving Program
Funding to support the replication of a particularly innovative local or regional initiative at other sites around the country.

Wal-Mart State Giving Program
The Wal-Mart Foundation will award grants at the state and regional level to support unmet needs that are not directly addressed by any of their current programs.

Wal-Mart Store and Sam's Club Giving Programs
Funding to local nonprofit organizations in four main areas of focus: Education, Workforce Development / Economic Opportunity, Health & Wellness and Environmental Sustainability.

William Randolph Hearst Foundations Health Grants
Provides funding to improve access to quality health care for underserved populations in rural and urban areas.

Inactive Funding

Inactive Funding Opportunities - Lists additional funding programs for this topic that are not currently accepting applications. Programs that are inactive may be offered again in the future.

Regulations, Forms & Other Useful Documents

Corporate Wellness Makes a Bottom-Line Difference: The Cost Benefit of Worksite Wellness
Sponsoring organization: Wellness Councils of America
Describes specific examples of the cost benefits of corporations which have worksite wellness programs.

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

Getting Cancer Screenings to Rural Patients
Author(s): Candi Helseth
Sponsoring organization: Rural Assistance Center
Discusses the importance of early detection of breast and prostate cancers.
Journal citation: Rural Monitor Volume Fall Issue 2008
Date: 11 / 2008

Healthy America: Wellness Where We Live, Work and Learn
Sponsoring organization: National Governor's Association
Highlights the simple yet specific behavioral and lifestyle changes necessary for sustainable long-term health and wellness for children, teenagers, adults and seniors.

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

Lessons Learned: Promoting Physical Activity at the Community Level
Author(s): Janet Heroux
Sponsoring organization: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Examines 25 projects funded by RWJF to promote walking, biking and other activities and offers 12 lessons learned.
Date: 09 / 2005

Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity in Rural America
Author(s): Joe Blankenau
Sponsoring organization: Center for Rural Affairs
Reports that obesity is more prevalent for rural adults than urban adults. Provides examples that can be used to promote and enhance nutrition, health, wellness, and physical activity in rural communities. Concludes that health reform plans should address school nutrition programs.
Date: 01 / 2009

Promoting Preventive Services for Adults 50-64: Community and Clinical Partnerships
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Designed to promote lifesaving clinical preventive services for adults aged 50 to 64. Presents statistics and ideas for community and clinical program implementation.
Date: 11 / 2009

Rural Healthy People 2010: Educational and Community Based Programs in Rural Areas: A Literature Review
Author(s): Larry Gamm, Graciela Castillo, Lisa Williams
Sponsoring organization: Southwest Rural Health Research Center
Detailed literature review of rural health issues associated with the Healthy People 2010 focus area on educational and community-based programs.
Date: 01 / 2005

Rural Healthy People 2010: A Companion Document to Healthy People 2010. Volume 1
Author(s): Larry D. Gamm, Linnae L. Hutchison, Betty J. Dabney, Alicia M. Dorsey, eds.
Sponsoring organization: Southwest Rural Health Research Center
Brief overviews of the top rural health concerns and objectives associated with Healthy People 2010 focus areas, references to key literature about these concerns, and descriptions of models for practice that rural communities can draw upon to achieve key Healthy People 2010 objectives.
Date: 2003

Rural Healthy People 2010: A Companion Document to Healthy People 2010. Volume 2
Author(s): Larry D. Gamm, Linnae L. Hutchison, Betty J. Dabney, Alicia M. Dorsey, eds.
Sponsoring organization: Southwest Rural Health Research Center
Detailed literature reviews and associated references for the top rural health concerns addressed in Vol. 1 of Rural Healthy People 2010.
Date: 2003

Rural Healthy People 2010: A Companion Document to Healthy People 2010. Volume 3
Author(s): Larry D. Gamm, Linnae L. Hutchison, eds.
Sponsoring organization: Southwest Rural Health Research Center
Addresses several rural health concerns and objectives not covered in Volumes 1 and 2 of Rural Healthy People 2010. Includes overviews, literature reviews, and accompanying models for practice for four rural health topics.
Date: 02 / 2005

Rural Residents Lag in Preventive Services Use; Lag Increases with Service Complexity
Sponsoring organization: South Carolina Rural Health Research Center
Describes the receipt of preventive services among rural adults and explores the factors that are related to disparities in utilization.
Date: 06 / 2009

Journals

Journey to Wellness
An online health magazine for African Americans.

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 Public Health Association (APHA)
National organization
Works to influence policies and set priorities in public health.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Federal government
Lead federal agency for protecting the health and safety of people at home and abroad. Work includes disease prevention and control, environmental health, and health promotion and education activities designed to improve the health of the people of the United States.

Wellness Councils of America (Welcoa)
Nonprofit/Foundation
Was founded in 1987 as a national non-profit membership organization dedicated to promoting healthier life styles for all Americans, especially through health promotion initiatives at the worksite.

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Page last updated 11/20/2009
Topic last reviewed 6/30/2009

News
Nov 20, 2009 -- New Report Finds Only 25 Percent of Adults Aged 50-64 Get Recommended Preventive Screenings

Nov 20, 2009 -- Highest Rates of Obesity, Diabetes in the South, Appalachia, and Some Tribal Lands

Nov 20, 2009 -- Statement from Dr. Howard Koh, Assistant Secretary for Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, on Help is Available for Smokers Who Want to Quit

Nov 19, 2009 -- Secretary Sebelius Statement on New Breast Cancer Recommendations

Nov 19, 2009 -- FDA Teams with Everyday Health to Expand Reach of Health Information

Nov 17, 2009 -- New Technology Helps Elderly Stay Healthy at Home

Nov 17, 2009 -- Poll Finds Americans Think Disease Prevention Central to Health Reform

Nov 17, 2009 -- Task Force Recommends Fewer Breast Cancer Screenings

Nov 13, 2009 -- In Rural Kentucky, A Surprising Twist on the Health Debate

Nov 13, 2009 -- Secretary Sebelius Releases New Report on Health Insurance Reform and Diabetes in America

Nov 13, 2009 -- U.S. Adult Smoking Rates Remain Stalled

Nov 10, 2009 -- US Department of Labor’s OSHA Provides Workplace H1N1 Influenza Precaution and Protection Information for Workers and Employers

Nov 6, 2009 -- CMS to Host Call on H1N1 Waivers

Nov 3, 2009 -- Initial Results Show Pregnant Women Mount Strong Immune Response to One Dose of 2009 H1N1 Flu Vaccine

Nov 3, 2009 -- FDA Publishes Guidance on Diagnostic Tests for 2009 H1N1 Influenza Virus

Nov 3, 2009 -- AMA: Healthier Lifestyle Lowers Risk for Diabetes

Oct 30, 2009 -- Medicare Launches Mississippi Health First Collaborative for Diabetes Care in Community Settings

Oct 30, 2009 -- Regina Benjamin, Doctor to the Alabama Poor, Confirmed by Senate as US Surgeon General

Oct 28, 2009 -- CDC: H1N1 Vaccine Supplies on the Rise

Oct 26, 2009 -- Cardiac Patients Across Rural America Risk Losing Access to Nearby Care as Federal Agency Considers Cuts this Week

Oct 21, 2009 -- HHS Releases Update of "Understanding Breast Changes: A Health Guide for Women"

Oct 20, 2009 -- High Blood Pressure Medicines Show Promise for Treating Heart Disease

Oct 20, 2009 -- CDC Urges Antiviral Use for All Hospitalized Patients with Suspected Flu

Oct 16, 2009 -- IOM: Smoking Bans Reduce Heart Attacks

Oct 16, 2009 -- FDA Warns of Unapproved and Illegal H1N1 Drug Products Purchased Over the Internet

Oct 12, 2009 -- Groundwater Pollution in Rural Nuke Testing Areas

Oct 12, 2009 -- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Ad Council Launch National Campaign to Help Prevent the Spread of the H1N1 Flu Virus

Oct 8, 2009 -- HHS Unveils New Features on Flu.gov

Oct 5, 2009 -- New Guide Available from U.S. Government for Community and Faith-Based Organizations Working to Help Americans Stay Healthy from H1N1 and Seasonal Flu

Oct 5, 2009 -- Montana Goes Smoke-free

Oct 5, 2009 -- Pharmacists Join CDC Efforts in Promoting Appropriate Antibiotic Use

Oct 1, 2009 -- Bacterial Co–Infections Common in Fatal Cases of Influenza

Sep 30, 2009 -- Majority of Americans not Meeting Recommendations for Fruit and Vegetable Consumption

Sep 30, 2009 -- Recycled Medication Program Will Receive Top Health Award

Sep 30, 2009 -- Renewal of Charter for the Secretary's Advisory Committee on National Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Objectives for 2020

Sep 30, 2009 -- Tracing Rural America's 'Mortality Penalty'

Events
Nov 19 - 20, 2009
Swine Flu School Planning Workshop
New-Fields Exhibitions
Marriott Chicago Downtown Magnificent Mile
Chicago
Contact:
  202.536.5000
  flu@new-fields.com


About this Page
Credits

Developed by:
Holly Gabriel
holly@raconline.org


Thanks goes to:

Marcia Ory, Ph.D., M.P.H.
Professor, Social and Behavioral Health;
Director, Active for Life National Program Office, School of Rural Public Health, Texas A&M University



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