Gov. Tim Kaine released the preliminary report from the Commonwealth's Healthy Approach and Mobilization Plan for Inactivity, Obesity and Nutrition, or CHAMPION program. This report outlined the foundation for plans to curb the Commonwealth's growing obesity problem.
Established in 2004, the CHAMPION program seeks to gather information from all communities in the Commonwealth to assess factors important for decreasing obesity. According to a press release from the governor's office, over 900 people representing 250 organizations identified 4,500 factors relating to obesity through a series of meetings.
Donna Seward, director of the state divisions of the Woman, Infants and Children Program and Community Nutrition Services, said the state Department of Health has not yet decided on any specific programs to limit obesity but that CHAMPION intends to address the severity of obesity fully in all age groups.
"CHAMPION works from infancy starting with pregnancy through the end of life," Seward said. "We're trying to do a full life span, since we are seeing more Type II diabetes in young children and well beyond adolescents."
According to the release, obesity factors found in through the various studies were divided into four main themes to form the foundation of the comprehensive CHAMPION plan: media intervention, nutrition education, community involvement and public policy.
"Finding programs that will address the four main things will deal with the problem in the best way possible," Seward said.
Mark Fletcher, director of the Intramural Recreational Sport program at the University, said poor fitness and eating habits begin long before students enter the University.
"The public schools over the years have continued to cut back on physical education programs in K-12 programs," Fletcher said. "I think they are now seeing the repercussions of that."
Fletcher also said University students have an advantage over the rest of the state since they have a 94 percent participation rate in intramural sports.
"I think students at U.Va. are very good about getting involved in the lifestyle that says 'I should take care of myself,'" Fletcher said. "It doesn't mean that there aren't abuses of that, but I think that our student body is better than most."
According to the release, programs to curb obesity will be evaluated on their effectiveness and proven results.
Seward said she believes that all of the main levels of the plan must be addressed in order to stop obesity fully.
"Obesity is the new smoking problem," Seward said "It's a society issue, and we must address it on all those levels if we are going to have any impact."
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