The Douglas County Health Department’s Chief of Community Health and Nutrition Services is in Washington DC for the Weight of the Nation Conference.
Mary Balluff says the purpose of the conference is to figure out how we as a community are going to combat the obesity issue. A recent article in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine predicts an increase in the percentage of obese and very obese Americans over the next twenty years.
Balluff says Douglas County has done a number of things locally to try to stem the tide of obesity in the Omaha area.
"They’ve also been working with grocery stores in our community to increase the number of healthy corner stores that we have. Also, working with city planning and city public works to think about a city transportation plan system that’s easier for all of us to use and increases choices for active transportation.”
Balluff says the Health Department has also been working with after school programs to encourage increased physical activity among students.
She says in the state of Nebraska 6 out of 10 adults are and as many as one third of kids are overweight.