Tennessee now has a comprehensive, statewide nutrition and physical activity plan: Eat Well, Play More Tennessee. This five-year plan provides a comprehensive roadmap to reduce obesity and chronic disease in Tennessee by 2015.
The primary focus of Eat Well, Play More Tennessee is to create policy and environmental changes in the places where people live, work, learn, play and pray that will improve the health of Tennesseans of all ages and abilities. The plan focuses on numerous target areas and vulnerable populations: healthy and affordable food availability in low-income areas; breastfeeding initiation and duration, which is clinically proven to reduce the risk of pediatric overweight; sugar-sweetened beverages, which according to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2009 is the single largest driver of the obesity epidemic. Other focus areas include: built environment and transportation facilities; parks and recreation; screen time at the computer and watching television; early childcare; schools; health systems; faith-based settings; work sites; aging populations; mental health and disabled populations; African American and Latino populations and rural communities.
The Eat Well, Play More Tennessee plan and information on how to become involved can be found
online at www.eatwellplaymoretn.org .