Rhode Island may be the smallest state, but according to the "Healthy Weight in 2008" campaign, Rhode Islanders do not have waistlines to match. The campaign, kicked off in January by Gov. Donald Carcieri '65, aims to reduce obesity by encouraging physical activity and healthy eating habits.
According to the campaign, 56 percent of adults in Rhode Island are either overweight or obese. Obesity increases the risk of Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure. Cheryl Martone, special assistant to the first lady, said the obesity rate in the state burdens taxpayers with an additional $185 per person per year in healthcare costs. In conjunction with the Rhode Island Department of Health's Initiative for a Healthy Weight, with help from Brown and many other partners, the campaign aims to ameliorate this problem.
The campaign has a budget of approximately $50,000, Martone said. It has partnered with many groups across the state, including the State Alliance of Rhode Island YMCAs, Shape Up RI and RI Kids First, among others.
The campaign's Web site provides an abundance of health information for people and institutions interested in healthy living, and it also offers a list of local healthy-living events. It argues for a combination of nutritious eating and increased physical activity. Individuals are advised to get 30 minutes of exercise five days a week.
The campaign encourages any and all physical activity, with an emphasis on walking - one of Carcieri's preferred activities, Martone said. She cited the Amish as an example of how physical activity can reduce obesity in a population. The campaign's Web site reports that the average Amish person takes over four times as many steps as the average American. According to Martone, the rate of obesity in the Amish population is only 4 percent, compared to over 30 percent among average Americans.
"Walking is a fairly ubiquitous activity that everyone can afford," said Patricia Risica, assistant professor of community health, who has worked with the Initiative for a Healthy Weight. "The highest risk (for obesity) is among low-income individuals, so asking people to join a gym or buy a bike is not useful."
Marion Nestle, professor of nutrition and food studies at New York University and author of "What to Eat," qualified the benefits of walking. "A ballpark figure is 100 calories per mile. That is the number of calories in two Oreo cookies," she said. "Physical activity is important, but trying to say that 100 calories a day will make a difference in weight doesn't work."
Carcieri is personally devoted to exercise, Martone said. "He's in good condition," she said. "He wears an odometer. He walks the talk."
The campaign also focuses on childhood obesity. "We are seeing more and more children with Type 2 diabetes," Martone said. "It's because of sedentary lifestyles and poor nutrition."
In January, the Rhode Island legislature passed a bill to change the food options at public schools. Eliza Lawson, program manager at the Initiative for a Healthy Weight, said schools have started offering more fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Soda will be replaced with low-fat milk.
The campaign also encourages businesses to improve the health of their employees, which will reduce their healthcare costs in the long run, Risica said. The state has succeeded in getting state employees to exercise and wants businesses to do the same, Martone said.
The food offered by restaurants is also of concern to the campaign. "We as a population need to order the healthy options," Risica said. "We need to let them know they will not lose money by offering healthy foods."
