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The North Carolina Healthy Weight Initiative

A Good Idea

Description

The North Carolina Healthy Weight Initiative is the coordinating group for issues related to healthy weight, nutrition, and physical activity for the state’s children. Through this initiative, North Carolina developed a comprehensive state plan focused on children aged 2–18 years. The North Carolina initiative is enhancing the state’s pediatric nutrition surveillance system and is implementing programs designed to improve the nutrition and physical activity behaviors of young children and their families.

Goal / Mission

Launched in the fall of 2002, the plan, Moving Our Children Toward a Healthy Weight: Finding the Will and the Way, calls for a multilevel approach to reducing the number of overweight and obese children. It focuses not only on behavioral and interpersonal change, but also on the organizational, community, and societal changes necessary to support healthy eating habits and increased physical activity for children, teens, and their families.

Results / Accomplishments

North Carolina is also enhancing its pediatric nutrition surveillance system to better monitor trends in body mass index and selected dietary and physical activity behaviors. In addition, a pilot intervention in eight counties throughout the state targets children aged 2–5 who are enrolled in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) or the Child and Adult Care Food Program. This program uses policy, environmental interventions, and educational programs to reach staff members and families with important health messages.

About this Promising Practice

Organization(s)
North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services
Primary Contact
North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services
Division of Public Health
1928 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, North Carolina 27699
(919) 733-7081
Topics
Health / Children's Health
Health / Physical Activity
Organization(s)
North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services
Source
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: Steps to a Healthier U.S.
Date of publication
2003
Date of implementation
2002
Location
North Carolina
For more details
http://www.eatsmartmovemorenc.com/ESMMPlan/Texts/h...
Target Audience
Children

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A Good Idea meets the following HCI criteria:

  1. The program description includes: the sponsoring organization, program goals, program funding source, program implementation steps and outcomes.
  2. The program evaluation is limited to descriptive measure(s) of success/accomplishment (i.e., program participation rates, number of services/education sessions/radio messages provided). Note: oftentimes, the program has been newly implemented and a program evaluation has not yet been conducted. Programs that have not yet been evaluated, but which show promise in improving health or quality of life, are classified as Good Ideas until an evaluation is conducted.
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