 | |
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.
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Partners N Health Teleconference Series
RESCHEDULED FROM AUG. 22 TO SEPT. 12
Title: "We Are Partners N Health: Launching the Partners N Health Photovoice Project" (Click here for more information)
Speaker: Betsey Heidrick, State Plan Communications Coordinator, Nutrition and Activity for Health Program, Nebraska DHHS
Date: Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Time: 12 PM - 1 PM CST
NOTE: There are a limited number of telephone lines available for this teleconference. To register, email Betsey Heidrick (betsey.heidrick@nebraska.gov) with your name, organization, and email address by Monday, September 10. |
|
New Resources Added to Action Plan Database
Four new resources have been added to the Partners N Health resource database. These resources can be accessed by creating an action plan on www.partnersnhealth.org.
- Healthy Eating Strategies 1A, 1B, and 1C
- Healthy Eating Strategy 2B
- Healthy Eating Strategy 2E
- Active Living Strategy 3B
- The National Complete Streets Coalition recently released the Complete Streets Policy Workbook, which uses existing policies, to show how a community can use its unique visions and goals to determine whether a complete streets policy would benefit it, and to examine which components may fit the community's needs.
To get more resources for healthy eating, active living, and breastfeeding, create an action plan at www.partnersnhealth.org. |
|
|
|
Papillion-La Vista School District Receives Physical Fitness and Nutrition PEP Grant The U.S. Department of Education recently awarded 56 grants totaling $27 million to school districts and community organizations who plan to implement comprehensive physical fitness and nutrition programs for their students through the Carol M. White Physical Education Program (PEP). Papillion-La Vista School District was one of the grant recipients, and the only Nebraska school district to receive the grant. Click here for additional information on the PEP grant program. |
|
|
Save the Date: Promoting Healthy Weight Colloquium Webcast
The University of Tennessee, Knoxville will be presenting a "Promoting Healthy Weight Colloquium: Building a Foundation During the Developmental Stages of Adolescence and Pregnancy for a Healthy Life Course Trajectory" event and webcast on Friday, September 28 from 1:30-4:00 p.m. CST. The event is free for both online and onsite participants. Click here for more information.
Obesity and Economics Report Released
The Bipartisan Policy Center's Nutrition and Physical Activity Initiative recently released a new obesity report, Lots to Lose: How America's Health and Obesity Crisis Threatens our Economic Future, and executive summary. The report, "calls on individuals and the public and private sectors to collaborate on specific, actionable strategies to improve outcomes in four priority areas: healthy families, schools, workplaces and communities."
CDC National Healthy Worksite Program Launches New Website
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is pleased to announce the launch of the new National Healthy Worksite Program (NHWP) Web site, designed to assist employers in implementing science- and practice-based prevention and health promotion strategies that can reduce chronic disease rates. The NHWP seeks to promote good health through prevention, reduce chronic illness and disability, and improve productivity outcomes that contribute to employers' competitiveness. |
|
|
|
Nebraska Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Breastfeeding Peer Counseling Program
Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) is a nutrition program that helps pregnant women, new mothers, infants, and young children eat well, learn about nutrition, and stay healthy. To support breastfeeding mothers, WIC implements the Breastfeeding Peer Counseling Program. Peer counselors are mothers who have personal experience with breastfeeding and are trained to provide basic breastfeeding information and support to other mothers with whom they share various characteristics, such as language, race/ethnicity, and socioeconomic status. The WIC Breastfeeding Peer Counseling Program uses an evidence-based training curriculum called the Loving Support Model.
The Nebraska WIC Program served 5,442 pregnant and 15,661 postpartum women during 2011. In 2011, 11 out of the 14 Nebraska WIC local agencies provided breastfeeding peer counselor services to breastfeeding mothers and babies enrolled in WIC in their communities. There are approximately 39 peer counselors working in the 11 local WIC agencies; they each serve 50-80 clients per month. Click here to see a map of Nebraska counties served by the WIC Breastfeeding Peer Counseling Program.
WIC's Breastfeeding Peer Counseling Program's work supports State Plan Breastfeeding Strategy #2: "Increase the number of peer and professional support programs and providers."
Learn more about Nebraska WIC by visiting their website. |
|
|
|
|
Success Story of the Month |
|
|
|
| |
|
BEST Grant Serves Nursing Mothers in Douglas County
 | | Mother's Room at the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce |
The BEST Grant: Breastfeeding, Education, Support and Training, addressed practices that promote breastfeeding in Douglas County (greater Omaha Area) and utilized an ecological approach centered on systemic change and promotion activities over a three year period. Five focus areas were included in the BEST Project: 1) promoting breastfeeding support in the workplace, 2) enhancing breastfeeding friendly maternity practices in hospitals, 3) providing professional education, support and training to area health care providers, 4) facilitating peer support and education among WIC participants, targeting women of color, and 5) promoting community acceptance of breastfeeding practices.
Read the full success story here. |
|
|
Gretchen Swanson Center Writes Commentary on Obesity and Food Insecurity
Drs. Yaroch and Pinard wrote a commentary for "Archives of Internal Medicine" on a recently released study by Dr. Brian Wansink and colleagues with results that offer a potential explanation as to why those who are food insecure are also at risk for obesity. Yaroch and Pinard believe further studies should be done to explore the effects of hunger on diet choices of those who are food insecure and how obesity and food insecurity may intersect. To see the full Wansink article, click here, and to see the commentary, click here.
New Online American Nutrient Intake Data Resource Available
What We Eat in America, a new online database from the United States Department of Agriculture - Agricultural Research Service provides estimates of mean nutrient intakes for 21 age/gender groups by race/ethnicity and family income.
Review Examines Influence of Competitive Food and Beverage Policies
Competitive foods is a term used to describe foods and beverages that generally compete with school programs. The influence of policies related to the sale of competitive foods is worth examining because the foods and drinks available in school have a significant effect on children's diets and their weight. This research review and issue brief from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation examines the emerging evidence about the influence of competitive food and beverage policies on children's diets and childhood obesity.
New Local Food Policy Toolkit Available
The Harvard Food Law and Policy Clinic recently released a local food policy toolkit, Good Laws, Good Food: Putting Local Food Policy to Work for Our Communities. The toolkit is intended for anyone who wishes to enact change in their local food system.
Cereal FACTS Report Released
Cereal companies have improved the nutritional quality of most of their products marketed directly to children, but have increased advertising to children of many of their least nutritious cereals, according to a three-year update of the Rudd Center's Cereal FACTS Report. The full report, report summary, and tools for consumers and researchers, including a video, are available at http://www.cerealfacts.org/.
National Farmers Market Directory Listings Increase
Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan recently announced a 9.6 percent increase in National Farmers Market Directory listings. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's directory, a database published online at farmersmarkets.usda.gov, identifies 7,864 farmers markets operating throughout the United States. The information collected in the directory is self-reported data provided voluntarily by farmers market managers through an annual outreach effort. Last year, USDA's directory listed 7,175 markets.
New Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Briefing Available
A new briefing by the Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress, SNAP to Health: A Fresh Approach to Strengthening the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, examines the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The policy report and executive summary of the project's findings distributed at the forum have been posted on the SNAP to Health website. |
|
|
|
Vital Signs: Walking Among Adults in the United States
The 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommends at least 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity for substantial health benefits. In a recent report, CDC used data from the 2005 and 2010 National Health Interview Surveys to assess changes in prevalence of walking by sex, age group, race/ethnicity, education, body mass index category, walking assistance status, region, and physician-diagnosed chronic disease. CDC also assessed the association between walking and meeting the aerobic physical activity guideline. CDC also produced a Vital Signs fact sheet on walking and other materials with the report.
Omaha to Add Shared Use and Bike Lanes on Leavenworth Street to Increase Safety and Visibility
In an effort to expand multimodal travel options in Omaha, the City will be improving conditions along Leavenworth Street from 31st Street to 13th Street with dedicated bicycle and shared use lanes. This project will rebalance the street and provide better road safety for all users whether they choose to drive, ride a bicycle, or walk. The Leavenworth project aims to connect downtown Omaha with densely populated areas in Midtown Omaha and begin to address the lack of east/west connections. Click here to read a press release about the project.
Active Transportation Summit Set for September 28-29
The 2nd annual Heartland Active Transportation Summit will take place on Friday, September 28 at Metro Community College's Swanson Conference Center. This year's summit, themed "Great Transit and Trails for Livable Communities," will feature a keynote speech by Jarrett Walker, author of the blog and book Human Transit. Local advocacy groups are organizing a day of networking, capacity-building, and strategizing on Saturday, September 29th at the University of Nebraska at Omaha's College of Public Affairs and Community Service. Contact ModeShift Omaha for more details or to register your attendance: info@modeshiftomaha.org.
Public Bikesharing in North America Report Now Available
Public bikesharing--the shared use of a bicycle fleet--is an innovative transportation strategy that has recently emerged in major North American cities. Public Bikesharing in NorthAmerica: Early Operator and User Understanding evaluates public bikesharing in North America, reviewing the advances in technology and major events during its rapid expansion.
Finding Space to Play: Legal and Policy Issues Impacting Community Recreational Use of School Property
Public Health Law Center recently released a Policy Options Brief discussing current efforts in the public health community to promote community recreational use of school property to provide safe, affordable and convenient recreational facilities to communities, increase physical activity and reduce obesity.
Policies and Standards for Promoting Physical Activity in Afterschool Programs
This Active Living Research Brief summarizes research on physical activity in afterschool programs and examines how policies can help afterschool programs more effectively promote physical activity and prevent obesity among children.
Safe Routes to School National Partnerships 2011 Annual Report Now Available
This recently released annual report shows how the Safe Routes to School National Partnership is creating safer streets and routes, improving communities, and promoting physical activity for children and their families all across America. The report shows work focused on four main strategies: federal advocacy, state and regional policy change, local technical assistance, and engaging families and sharing best practices. |
|
|
United States Breastfeeding Coalition Launches Social Media Campaign in Celebration of Breastfeeding
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!
Breastfeeding Articles Made Available in Honor of World Breastfeeding Week
The Journal of Midwifery & Women's Health has granted free access to their special edition on breastfeeding issues in honor of World Breastfeeding Week (August 1-7).
Hospital Support for Breastfeeding Improving Nationwide
This year's Breastfeeding Report Card from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reveals that hospital support for breastfeeding has improved. Since 2009, 47 states and the District of Columbia have increased their score on CDC's Maternity Practices in Infant Nutrition and Care survey, which measures the degree to which practices in U.S. hospitals support breastfeeding. Additionally, births at Baby-Friendly hospitals have increased from 1.93 percent in 2008 to 6.22 percent in 2012. |
|
|
|
