'Get up and do something,' campaign urges“Get up and do something!” That was the message delivered by Lt. Gov. John Carney, CHEP ’84M, to a group of business, health care, education, government and community leaders at an Oct. 31 press conference at the Bob Carpenter Center. Carney was addressing members of Healthy Delaware 2010 Prevention Partners, a partnership of public and private groups, including the UD, working to improve the quality of life over a 10-year period for all Delawareans through a promotional campaign endorsing the benefits of moderate exercise and sound nutritional choices.
Representing UD as one of the Healthy Delaware 2010 Prevention Partners, are the College of Health and Nursing Sciences, Employee Wellness Center and the Health Services Policy Research Group. The press conference marked the official start of this statewide effort to encourage adults between the ages of 18 and 30, as well as members of the minority community, to make positive lifestyle changes. “Just a bit can keep you fit,” Carney said. “That’s our new slogan, and it’s meant to let young adults know that walking 30 minutes a day, three days a week, is every bit as healthy as engaging in exercises that give the body a real beating,” While the combination of increased low-impact physical activity and sound nutritional choices offer benefits that spread across the lifespan, the members of Healthy Delaware 2010 Prevention Partners decided to start with the 18- to 30-year-old crowd for a variety of reasons. “This is the group that thinks of themselves as being immortal,” Allan Waterfield, health and exercise sciences, said. “They are never going to get old, and they are never going to die.” Waterfield, who has chaired the Governor’s Council on Lifestyle and Fitness since 1991 and is a steering committee member of Healthy Delaware 2010, said that establishing a target group and enlisting UD as the research facility will help the Delaware Coalition to Promote Physical Activity to achieve its goal of getting Delawareans to adopt a healthier lifestyle. As part of this coordinated effort, the faculty of UD’s Health Promotion Program has assumed the responsibility of structuring a special educational media campaign to promote physical activity and good nutrition. “We decided that we needed a mission, and we really focused on the idea of increasing the level of physical activity engaged in by people in the state,” Waterfield said. “UD is clearly has the resources and the expertise to help this work.” Michael Peterson and Avron Abraham, health and exercise sciences, also are involved in the program. Financial backing for the initiative is provided by the Delaware Department of Health and Human Services, which used money from the national tobacco settlement to address a number of health issues in the state. “This is the second year of a three-year grant,” John J. O’Neill, health and exercise sciences, said. “We are anticipating a third grant, and we hope that the support will continue beyond that.” Besides showcasing a new 30-second promotional video urging a pair of couch potatoes to “Get up and do something,” the press conference provided an occasion for Carney to present several community mini-grants to coalition members, including UD’s Wellness Center.  |
