Indiana Healthy Weight Initiative
In 2008, Indiana was awarded a five year Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) grant to improve healthful eating and physical activity to prevent and control obesity and other chronic diseases by building and sustaining statewide capacity, and implementing population based strategies and interventions. The Indiana Healthy Weight Initiative was developed and is now being implemented as a result of the CDC grant.The purpose of the Indiana Healthy Weight Initiative is to improve healthy eating and active living to prevent and control overweight and obesity and other chronic diseases among Indiana residents.
The activities of the Initiative include the following:
- Plan, implement and evaluate a state plan
- Organize and maintain a task force
- Build and sustain statewide capacity
The Initiative is charged with focusing prevention and control efforts on all residents of Indiana regardless of their weight status (i.e., underweight, normal weight, overweight, and obese). Environments, policy and practices that support population based changes are vital to reaching so many residents.
The Initiative also focuses on implementing strategies and interventions at every level of the Social-Ecological Model – individual, interpersonal, organizational, communities and the societal level. The task force includes people and organizations that can impact each of level.