Overweight and Obesity
State Programs

Vermont

Nutrition and Physical Activity Program to Prevent Obesity and Other Chronic Diseases

The Epidemic

• 56% of Vermont adults are overweight or obese. (CDC BRFSS, 2003)
• The obesity rate for Vermont adults rose by 77% from 1990 to 2002. (CDC BRFSS, 2002)
• 26% of Vermont high school students are overweight or at risk of becoming overweight. (CDC YRBSS, 2003)
• 29% of low-income children between 2 and 5 years of age in Vermont are overweight or at risk of becoming overweight. (CDC PedNSS, 2002)

Program Priorities

The Vermont Department of Health adopted the following objectives for the prevention of obesity in 2001:

• Increase the percentage of middle schools and junior high schools that require daily physical education for all students.
  
• Reduce the percentage of youth who are overweight or at risk for overweight.
  
• Increase the percentage of people who eat at least two daily servings of fruit.
  
• Increase the percentage of people who eat at least three daily servings of vegetables.
  
• Reduce the percentage of adults who are overweight.
  
• Reduce the percentage of adults who are obese.

Partners

The Vermont Department of Health is identifying and recruiting potential public and private sector partners. The state has a number of existing coalitions dealing with health issues and these will serve as models for the obesity prevention coalition and as resources for identifying and recruiting partners.

Recent Accomplishments and Products

• A coordinating council for the obesity prevention program will be formed.
  
• A burden of obesity report will be completed.
  
• A comprehensive inventory of current strategies and program related to obesity will be conducted.
  
• An obesity monitoring and surveillance plan will be developed.
  
• Criteria for prioritizing and selecting interventions will be identified.

Upcoming Events and Products

• A City of Moses Lake spring festival to promote environmental changes that increase opportunities for physical activity.
• Statewide workshops for local child care health consultants.
• An obesity, nutrition, and physical activity Web site.

Project Period: 2004–2008
Year First Funded: 2004
Funding Stage: Capacity Building
Contact Person:
Susan Coburn, RD
Interim Program Coordinator
Vermont Department of Health
Telephone: 802-951-5151
E-mail: scoburn@vdh.state.vt.us

Data Sources

CDC BRFSS — CDC’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System
CDC PedNSS — CDC’s Pediatric Nutrition Surveillance System
CDC YRBSS — CDC’s Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System

*This document is available in Portable Document Format (PDF). You will need Acrobat Reader (a free application) to view and print this document.

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This page last updated September 14, 2004

United States Department of Health and Human Services
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
Division of Nutrition and Physical Activity