Sherburne County Health & Human Services (HHS) is continuing its efforts to improve the health of its citizens.

 

One of the biggest health issues in the county, state and the nation is obesity, and HHS has been implementing programs to get people to exercise more and eat healthier.

 

Using funds from the Statewide Health Improvement Program (SHIP), HHS has partnered with local communities to build trails, get kids more physically active at pre-school and  provide healthier snacks.

 

Earlier this year, Minnesota lawmakers were considering cutting SHIP funding as a way to help balance the state budget.

 

But Tuesday, Amanda Larson, planner with HHS, said the legislature approved the continuation of the program and allocated full funding - $35 million, for 2015-16.

 

In her report on the SHIP program, Health Promotions Supervisor Kara Zoller said obesity has grown significantly over the past 30 years. She showed the commissioners results from a Center of Disease Control (CDC) survey  on the percentage of people considered overweight or obese since 1986. 

 

That year, 15 states reported 10% or less of its adult population was obese (including Minnesota) and seven states had 10% to 14% of its adult population obese.

 

By 2010, no state had less than 15% of its population obese. In some states, 25-30% of its adults were obese. 

 

Zoller said Minnesota is still doing better than some other states, although if statistics are combined, nearly  62% of adult Minnesotans are either overweight or obese.

 

And now it’s affecting the younger population too.

 

“We don’t have the data from the survey done by CDC, but we know and we are seeing the data that obesity is shifting into the kids population,” she said, “lower  physical activity, not eating the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables and also the amount of screen time like TV and video games.”

 

Zoller said there is good news, though. SHIP started in 2009, and obesity rates in MN since 2010 have “flatlined.” They are not growing as in other states.

 

“Other states are really looking at MN - at some of the things we’ve been able to do in healthcare reform,” she said. “We are hoping that SHIP had a lot to do with it - that a lot of the changes that have been made statewide have made a difference.”

 

Zoller said Sherburne County HHS plans to continue to implement SHIP programs to improve its citizens’ health. They are currently working with Benton, Stearns and Wright counties on a Regional Active Transportation Plan to increase walking and biking across the region.  And they are working with local school districts to implement Safe Routes to School plans.