RUNNING HEAD: Healthy Living Healthy ...

RUNNING HEAD: Healthy Living
Healthy Living
Katelyn Moore
University of Louisiana at Monroe
Healthy Living
The United States government has implemented several programs and agencies to promote healthy lifestyles for people of all ages. One of the main agencies working to promote well being is the United States’ Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The CDC launched the “VERB” campaign in 2002 to reach children between the ages of 9 and 13 (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2008). As stated by the CDC, the vision of “VERB” is for all youth to lead a healthy lifestyle. The idea of this campaign was to encourage and educate both children and their parents about being physically active daily. From 2002 to 2006, the campaign ran paid advertisements as well as other strategies to promote healthy lifestyles in American youth (CDC, 2008).
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has a program called the “Healthy Community Program.” Beginning in 2003, the CDC chose 180 cities to participate in the program and planned to add 260 in the following 5 years (CDC, 2009). The main focus of the “Healthy Community Program” is the prevention of chronic diseases on a local level. The CDC states, “Preventable health-risk factors such as tobacco use and exposure, insufficient physical activity, and poor nutrition contribute greatly to the development and severity of many chronic diseases” (2009). Eliminating these risk factors would change the American society tremendously, considering 7 out of 10 deaths are due to chronic diseases (CDC, 2009).
HealthierUS is an initiative sponsored by Executive Office of the President and United States Department of Health and Human Services. This website offers information for adults and children about living a healthier life (HealthierUS.gov). Information about physical activity, nutrition, screenings, and other healthy choices can also be found on the site. This initiative was started by President Bush to give Americans a guide to healthier living because of a notable decline in the general populations of American’s health, such as an increase in the number of patients with diabetes within the last several years (HealthierUS.gov).
Louisiana’s government put into action as of January 1, 2007, a law prohibiting smoking in public areas such as places of employment and restaurants (American’s for Nonsmokers’ Rights, 2009). Louisiana has a reputation for being an “unhealthy” state; this law, called the “Louisiana Smoke-Free Air Act,” marks a milestone in state history for improving the health of the citizens of the state of Louisiana (Louisiana Campaign for Tobacco Free Living [TFL], 2009). Louisiana also has a program, Louisiana Campaign for Tobacco Free Living, which promotes healthier lifestyles ...