National Public Health Week (NPHW) started this week and it’s all about teaching people how to have a healthier life and appreciating the contributions of public health. The goal is to build a healthier community and a better nation.
In order to keep health as a priority, this year NPHW is focusing, mostly, in three areas that include education, healthier food choices, and exercise.
The recommendation is to people to go outside, walk, bike or jog following the rules of the road and wearing adequately fitted helmet; to make sure their children are receiving a proper education, claiming that education is highly associated with good health because it can give people the opportunity to opportunity to have better jobs, incomes and neighborhoods; and to have better food choices that include nutritious ingredients, as fruits and vegetables, and not harmful contaminants, as processed foods and sugar-sweetened beverages.
NPHW explains that building a healthier community requires people to start taking care of themselves so others will be likely to follow the example they’re giving. This week, they are trying to encourage people to eat well, exercise more often, breath fresh air, sleep well, to detach a little bit from electronic devices, to support law enforcement to help them make our communities safer and support farmers’ markets and local businesses that value health.
The American Public Health Association (APHA) started National Public Health Week in April of 1995, focusing on public health prevention topics. “Healthiest Nation 2030” is the theme of this year, and the goal is to teach people who to work together to make changes in personal health and the health of communities.
For information about health department services contact: Genesee County Health Department at 344-2580 ext. 5555, or visit: www.co.genesee.ny.us/departments/health/index.html
Healthier kids are necessary to build a better community and a better nation
Julie Crane, a dietitian for Covenant’s Community Outreach, is worried about how much the childhood obesity has increased, so she insist on the importance of raising our kids in a healthy way, she says that “When we have children that are very unhealthy, as they get older they just become unhealthy adults,”
According to Crane, many parents don’t have enough education in healthy matters and, in consequence, they can’t introduce properly their children to a lifestyle that includes a healthy diet and exercise.
Crane, who has a class on diabetes education, adds that the risks of developing Type 2 diabetes increase in obese children. For more information, call 806-725-5218.
Source: Huffington Post