Reducing Chronic Disease Through Physical Activity and Nutrition
Five Action Steps
Poor nutrition and inadequate physical activity are significant risk factors for obesity and other chronic diseases, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, certain cancers, and depression.
Five actions steps states and communities can take to reduce these risks for people they serve are listed below. Ways to get started and links to resources are also provided.
1. Make physical activity safe and accessible for all.
- Support active transportation and land-use policies to make activity-friendly routes to everyday destinations.
- See strategies to increase physical activity and resources for Active People, Healthy Nation.
2. Make healthy food choices easier everywhere.
- Guide state and community facilities where food is offered and sold to use nutrition standards for food procurement. This will help ensure healthier food options are available.
3. Make breastfeeding easier to start and sustain.
- Help hospitals use evidence-based maternity care practices to support new mothers to start breastfeeding.
- See 10 Steps for Successful Breastfeeding designed for facilities that provide maternity and newborn services.
4. Strengthen obesity prevention standards for early care and education (ECE) settings.
- Improve standards that help prevent childhood obesity (healthy eating, physical activity, and limiting screen time) within existing ECE systems
- See key resources and success stories as well as the Spectrum of Opportunities Framework [PDF-665KB].
5. Spread and scale family healthy weight programs.
- Work with state Medicaid programs to help ensure that families with low incomes can easily access pediatric weight management interventions.
- See strategies for See healthcare strategies to prevent and treat childhood obesity.
Connect with Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity
