Efforts to combat the problem of obesity have been plentiful, yet there has been little headway nationally in moving indicators in a positive direction.  Our mission to promote health and wellness for everyone in the Howard County community compels us to not sit idly by while outside forces influence the environment where we work, live and raise our families.

Obesity has reached a crisis level; this nation-wide epidemic that is at the root of many chronic diseases later in life, many that are leading causes of death.(For additional information, see the video from the CDC below.)

In response, the Horizon Foundation is embarking on a Healthy Lifestyle initiative. We envision a community-wide, comprehensive effort to support lasting, positive changes that include healthy eating and physical activity. With our partners in the community, we aim to be bold in trying to reverse the trends that have had a negative impact on health. We are at the very beginning of this ambitious endeavor.  

In the fall of 2010, the Board of Trustees and staff of the Horizon Foundation held meetings with some of the nation’s top experts in the fields of public health and medicine. The purpose was to explore the complex issue of obesity to ask the question, “Where can the Foundation have an impact on addressing this problem in our community?”

Best practices were also systematically explored. And meetings were held with a variety of programs, some already funded by the Foundation, that are currently working on nutrition and exercise in the county.

In order to further define the initiative, a series of four gatherings were held, each with a slightly different focus and approach to the issue. The first was a discussion with the following esteemed presenters:

• Christina D. Economos, Associate Professor, Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy Holder of The New Balance Chair in Childhood Nutrition (Tufts University)
• Anne Palmer, Program Director, Center for a Livable Future (Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health)
• Sarah Strunk, Director Active Living by Design (University of North Carolina)
• Mary Beth Powell, Deputy Director, Active Living by Design (University of North Carolina)

Subsequent meetings included these prominent thought-leaders and practitioners:

• David Kessler, MD, former Head of the US FDA and author of ”The End of Overeating”
• Kelly Brownell   Director, Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity, Yale University
• Harold Goldstein  Executive Director, California Center for Public Health Policy
• Rob Goldman, Chief Operating Officer and Vice-President, Columbia Association
• Dr. Harry Oken, Medical Director, Columbia Association
• Dr. Peter Beilenson, Howard County Health Officer
• Liddy Garcia-Bunuel, Executive Director, Healthy Howard, Inc.
• Christen Lothen-Klein, Area Extension Director, University of Maryland
• Kathy Zimmerman, Agricultural Economic Development Specialist, Howard County Economic Development Authority
• Days of Taste, Barbara Wasserman
• Amy Reese, Elementary School Science Resource Teacher, Howard County Public Schools  
• Lisa Martin, President, Girls on the Run, Howard County
• Laurie Collins, Instructional Facilitator, Family and Consumer Science Howard County Public Schools

A holistic, multi-dimensional approach to the initiative was universally agreed upon for success.

Sustainability factors prominently in our plan – healthy lifestyle change is a process that takes place over a period of time. We are committed to this issue; it occupies an important place in the strategic plan of our organization. We believe that addressing the issue is vital because it is one of the critical precursors to community health and wellness.

Partnership Building

Through our Healthy Lifestyles Initiative, we aim to take a comprehensive approach to the issue and have partnered with the Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity at Yale University, which will aid in the establishment of an advisory council made up of preeminent policy and research experts, to advise the Foundation as we move forward.

The Obesity Epidemic

Today, obesity is a national epidemic and a major contributor to the leading causes of death in the U.S. such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes and some cancers. Over 1 adult in 3 is obese, and 1 child in 6 is obese.

This video from the CDC explains and illustrates the complex factors that have contributed to the obesity epidemic, and showcases several initiatives to prevent and reduce obesity in communities across the U.S.