The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services’ Cardiovascular Health, Physical Activity and Nutrition Section received $888,000 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for the first year in the five-year State Physical Activity and Nutrition (SPAN) Program.
Total funding over five years will be $4.44 million. SPAN funding will address health disparities related to poor nutrition, physical inactivity and/or obesity.
Obesity in the United States affects more than 100 million adults and 14 million children and accounts for approximately $173 billion in annual health care costs, according to a news release. Physical activity and healthy eating patterns reduce the risk of chronic conditions such as heart disease, Type 2 diabetes and obesity.
The CDC SPAN funding will allow MDHHS to work with partners to improve the nutrition and physical activity environment in communities throughout Michigan. The grant aims to increase healthy eating and physical activity to reduce the risk of chronic disease, the release added.
In Michigan, 34 per cent of adults and 16 per cent of high school students are considered obese. Among Michigan adults, about 25 per cent reported no leisure time physical activity. Additionally, 40 per cent of Michigan adults did not consume fruit daily and 20 per cent did not consume vegetables daily. Among Michigan high school students, 22 per cent achieved one hour or more of moderate or vigorous-intensity physical activity daily. In addition, for a one-week period, nine per cent of high school students did not consume fruit or fruit juice and nine per cent did not consume vegetables. Among Michigan children ages one to five years, 31 per cent did not consume fruit daily in the past week and 44 per cent did not consume vegetables daily in the past week.
“In 2021, nearly one-third of Michigan deaths were due to heart disease, stroke, diabetes or kidney disease, and obesity is associated with increased risk of adverse chronic disease outcomes,” said Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, chief medical executive. “Funding from the CDC to support outreach for healthy lifestyles including physical activity will help families live healthier lives with better health outcomes.”
As one of 17 SPAN recipients, Michigan will implement proven public health strategies to:
- Promote food service and nutrition guidelines, expanding fruit and vegetable voucher incentive and produce prescription programs making healthy food choices easier to access.
- Connect pedestrian, bicycle or transit transportation networks to everyday destinations to allow safe and accessible physical activity.
- Collaborate with partners to implement breastfeeding-friendly policies and practices to increase continuity of care in breastfeeding support.
- Improve nutrition and physical activity and increasing breastfeeding in early care and education settings.
A complete list of CDC’s SPAN recipients and additional information can be found on the SPAN website.
