Iowa Joins anti-obesity initiative

The Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) has been chosen to join a national effort to combat obesity. “Collaborate for Healthy Weight,” an effort led by the National Initiative for Children's Healthcare Quality (NICHQ) in partnership with the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), consists of 50 teams across the country; teams range in size from a single town to an entire state. Teams will learn from national experts, exchange ideas, and create plans for becoming best practice models for other communities to follow. The initiative focuses on local partnerships between primary care providers, public health professionals, and leaders of community-based organizations.

According to the CDC, nearly three of every ten (28.4 percent) adult Iowans are obese. “We are delighted that NICHQ has selected our team from Iowa to participate in this initiative based on our solid commitment to achieving healthy weight and health equity in our community,” said team leader Catherine Lillehoj, PhD, IDPH Senior Research Analyst. “We look forward to sharing what we learn in this project with communities in other areas of the county.”

The team headed by IDPH will focus on Northeast Iowa, with an emphasis on increasing locally grown healthy food, while promoting physical activity opportunities in rural areas. The team includes representatives from Central Community School, Central Community Hospital, Clayton County Public Health, Guttenberg Municipal Hospital, Northeast Iowa Food & Fitness, University of Iowa College of Public Health and University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics Department of Pediatrics.

The project will run through February 2013. For more information on the initiative, visit

www.collaborateforhealthyweight.org