Cape May County Childhood Obesity Prevention Programs
The New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services (NJDHSS) has a Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity Program, which focuses on the goal of preventing and controlling obesity and other chronic diseases through promoting healthy eating and physical activity. This goal will be achieved through strategic public health efforts aimed at:
- Increasing access to and use of environments to support healthy eating and physical activity
- Increasing the number of policies and standards in place to support physical activity and healthy eating
- Increasing the number of social and behavioral approaches that complement policy and environmental strategies to promote healthy eating and physical activity
The program also emphasizes reducing health disparities related to:
- Age
- Disability
- Gender
- Geography
- Other factors
- Race/ethnicity
- Socioeconomic status
5 Target Areas
There are many partners in Cape May County who are working together to address 5 principle target areas through evidence-based programs. The five target areas and lead programs are:
- Decrease television viewing.
- Decrease the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages.
- Increase breastfeeding initiation, duration and exclusivity.
- Increase physical activity.
- Increase the consumption of fruits and vegetables and decrease the consumption of empty calories.