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It doesn’t have to be this way...
Fort Collins Coloradoan
June 8, 2002
Columns
Over half Colorado’s adult population and nearly a quarter of its children are currently affected by the number two preventable killer in the United States. Worse, this number has doubled over the last decade.
Obesity has been identified by the country’s Surgeon General as one of ten serious health conditions that needs to be addressed in its national ‘Healthy People 2010 Initiative’. This initiative is being implemented in each state, with the goal of increasing the quality and years of healthy life for Americans and eliminating health disparities over the next decade.
Denver-based Colorado Trust is funding the Colorado Healthy People initiative over the next three-and-a-half years. The trust is working with five regional coordinating agencies in the state to implement specific objectives, and coordinating the Northwestern region is Fort Collins Office.
"At United Way, we’re concerned about how we can marshal resources to impact the community," says Executive Director Gordan Thibedeau. "We looked at the objectives of Healthy People 2010 and saw they were the same kinds of things we’re trying to do in the community with United Way dollars."
The first thing United Way’s coordinator for Colorado Healthy People 2010, Jane Viste, did was research pressing health issues in the region.
"Though Colorado is known for its healthy lifestyles," she says, "recent trends show a disturbing fact: Coloradoans are gaining excessive weight and becoming less physically active at a rate on par with national trends."
Aside from causing premature death, obesity can give rise to a host of serious conditions that can affect life span and quality of life. Diabetes, cardiovascular disease, osteoarthritis and cancer are among the related diseases, along with more psychological problems such as depression and eating disorders.
Consequently, United Way has chosen obesity, overweight and also physical activity as its focal indicators for the Colorado Healthy People 2010 effort.
"Research indicates that regular physical activity, even at a moderate level, is associated with lower death rates for adults of any age," Ms. Viste says. "It’s essential in efforts towards prevention of obesity."
United Way has released a competitive request for proposals, offering funding to regional agencies that can come up with creative and innovative community-based programs that address obesity prevention. These programs will include strategies to promote healthy eating, support healthy lifestyles and increase physical activities, and they will collaborate with other sources and produce measurable outcomes. Proposals could address a range of topics including nutritional education in schools, improved healthcare access, improving trails in parks and recreational areas so they are more conducive to exercise, and even policy change.
The deadline for receiving proposals is July 11th, after which a carefully selected committee will choose up to ten agencies for funding from the Colorado Trust.
Executive Director Mr. Thibedeau is optimistic that Colorado Healthy People 2010 will make a positive difference to the community. "We want it to help people in Northwestern Colorado be healthier and live longer, more productive lives."
For more information, contact Jane Viste at Fort Collins Office, 424 Pine St., Suite 102, Fort Collins, CO 80524; ph (970) 407 7010; email jviste@uwaylc.org
-By Meg Brown a.k.a.: Sophie Waghorn
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