By following a few simple steps, you can create your own customized action plan built on the same goals, strategies and activities that form the foundation of the Nebraska Physical Activity and Nutrition State Plan.

• Healthy Eating Strategy 4B
• Kentucky Farm to School Handbook and Curriculum
• The Farm to School Kentucky Handbook is designed to be a practical tool for school food service directors, farmers and community members interested in bringing local foods to schools. The classroom curriculum was developed to help high school students explain the relationship of locally produced food to improved quality and nutrition, understand the importance of agriculture business to healthy communities, and increase their consumption of locally produced food.
• Breastfeeding Strategy 1A
• Nebraska Department of Labor Breastfeeding Requirements in the Workplace Website
• This Department of Labor website provides information and resources to Nebraska employers regarding breastfeeding requirements in compliance with the Fair Standard Labor Act (FSLA).
• June 20, 2012 Partners N Health Teleconference: "Breastfeeding Support at Nebraska Worksites: It's the Law" recording and presentation slides
• Ann Seacrest, Executive Director of MilkWorks community breastfeeding center, Adam Prochaska, attorney with Harding and Shultz law firm, and Andrea Wenke of Nebraska DHHS presented on how Nebraska employers can provide supports for nursing mothers in compliance with the FSLA.

 

To get more resources for healthy eating, active living, and breastfeeding, create an action plan at www.partnersnhealth.org.

Nebraska Initiative Featured in Prevention Institute Report

The Nebraska Little Voices for Healthy Choices Initiative, which implemented the Nutrition and Physical Activity Self-Assessment for Child Care (NAP SACC) program, was one of eight state projects highlighted in a recently released report from the Prevention Institute. Click here to read about the Nebraska Little Voices for Healthy Choices Initiative in The Intersection of Health Services and Community Environments: 8 Profiles of State-Driven Initiatives to Advance Population Health.

   

  

Weight of the Nation Conference Recordings Now Available

Recordings from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Weight of the Nation conference, held May 7-9 in Washington, D.C., are now available online. Speakers included Amy Yaroch, PhD, from the Gretchen Swanson Center for Nutrition in Omaha, who participated in the Town Hall Discussion to Address Obesity Prevention track of the conference. Click here to access the conference recordings.

 

 

Omaha Park Featured in HIA Project Review

Adams Park in Omaha was recently featured in a Health Impact Project Health Impact Assessment (HIA) nationwide review. The Adams Park HIA is the first HIA completed in Nebraska and was led by the Douglas County Health Department. The Park's HIA success story is featured on the organization's website. For more information about the Adams Park HIA, contact Andy Wessel with the Douglas County Health Department: Andy.Wessel@douglascounty-ne.gov. 

 

 

Free Online Obesity and Cancer Control Competencies Training Program Available

The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, in collaboration with the Prevention Reserach Center in St. Louis, are now offering a free web-based training program for public health practitioners to practice and strengthen the critical thinking skills necessary to implement evidence-based practice. The four modules (Partnership, Leadership, Policy, and Evaluation) apply to both obesity and cancer control, but the principles in these courses apply to any area of public health practice.

 

 

Early Care and Education Policy Review
The CDC considers Early Care and Education (ECE) an important setting to implement childhood obesity prevention strategies. This policy review is intended to help educate public health practitioners, child care providers, and decision-makers about the current conditions that exist in their state and inform future efforts to prevent obesity in this setting. The report identifies potential actions in ECE programs to prevent obesity, provides state-specific child care demographics, and highlights enacted state legislation and current licensing regulation that impact the nutrition and physical activity environments in ECE programs. 

  

  

Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance - United States, 2011
The Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBS) monitors six categories of priority health-risk behaviors among youth and young adults, including unhealthy dietary behaviors and physical inactivity. In addition, YRBS monitors the prevalence of obesity and asthma. This report summarizes results from the 2011 national survey, 43 state surveys, and 21 large urban school district surveys conducted among students in grades 9-12.

The Downtown Garden Market in Lincoln

 

The Downtown Garden Market opened in July 2007 as a demonstration worksite market serving the employees within the Nebraska State Office Building and surrounding businesses. Organized in partnership by the Nebraska Department of Agriculture (NDA) and Health and Human Services (DHHS), the worksite market was organized to increase the availability and convenience of purchasing locally grown produce in a worksite setting.  

 

Read the full success story here.

Paper on Food Attitudes and Behaviors Released
Awareness of the Fruits and Veggies - More Matters campaign, knowledge of the fruit and vegetable recommendation, and fruit and vegetable intake of adults in the 2007 Food Attitudes and Behaviors (FAB) Survey, co-authored by Dr. Yaroch from the Gretchen Swanson Center for Nutrition in Omaha, was published recently in Appetite, an international research journal specializing in behavioral nutrition and the cultural, sensory, and physiological influences on choices and intakes of foods and drinks. Click here to see the National Cancer Institute's FAB website and survey.

 

 

Study Finds Updated Standards for Limiting Snacks, Drinks Sold in School Likely to Have Positive Impact  
Updating nutrition standards for snacks and beverages sold in school so that they meet the most recent Dietary Guidelines for Americans could help students maintain a healthy weight, and support school food service revenue, according to a first-of-its-kind health impact assessment (HIA) released recently by the Kids' Safe & Healthful Foods Project and the Health Impact Project. The HIA found that updating national standards for the snacks and drinks sold in school vending machines, stores, and a la carte lines would reduce students' consumption of unhealthy items during the school day. Click here to learn more about the HIA.

School Budgets, Student Health to Benefit from Higher Nutrition Standards | Pew

 

 

Health Care Without Harm is launching its Healthy Food in Health Care (HFHC) webinars to support hospitals in building healthy and sustainable food services. Through these webinars, hospitals will learn about promoting healthy beverage options, balancing menus for meat reduction, and increasing local and sustainable food purchasing. Learn more here.

Save the Dates:

Thursday, September 13: 2:00 p.m. CST (Topic: Local & Sustainable Food Purchasing)

Thursday, November 8: 2:00 p.m. CST (Topic: Balanced Menus)

 

 

The United States Breastfeeding Coalition (USBC) invites all breastfeeding advocates to engage in conversations across social media platforms throughout the month of August in celebration of National Breastfeeding Month. The campaign, "Everyone Can Help Make Breastfeeding Easier: 20 Actions in 20 Days," will focus on the action steps set forth by the Surgeon General's Call to Action to Support Breastfeeding.

Join the campaign online!

The Nebraska Breastfeeding Coalition has set its next two quarterly meeting dates: August 22 at the Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department in Lincoln and November 7 at Creighton University Medical Center in Omaha. Click here to read minutes from the Coalition's June meeting.

 

 

Return to Work Event at MilkWorks on August 18
MilkWorks community breastfeeding center in Lincoln will host a Return to Work or School and Breastfeed Your Baby event for nursing mothers on Saturday, August 18 from 9:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. CST. This free presentation is designed for moms who are planning to return to work outside the home while breastfeeding. The event features a panel of moms who will share practical advice, guidance from a lactation consultant and door prizes. Registration is limited, so sign up early by calling (402) 423-6402.