Houston used to have Texas-sized obesity issue, reaching a drastic point as becoming America's fattest city. However an initiative was launched by Mayor Annise Parker in 2012 called "Go Healthy Houston" which gave people easier access to healthy food, physical activities and tobacco-free zones.
As reported in USA Today, residents in the sprawling south western metropolis had a hard time trying to get healthy food and a safe place to exercise. However, Mayor Parker's "Go Healthy Houston" project has changed all of this. It is just one of the initiatives that aims to improve health across the country by creating an environment where healthy options and areas are much easier to come by.
This project was highlighted during a recent forum conducted by USA Today and Cigna. Omar Reid, Houston's human resources director, said "The city government can either be a victim or a victor...in providing the types of policies that enable citizens to become healthier." Reid is one of the many who helped implement Go Healthy Houston. "One of the things that's different about city government is our ability to get things done quickly compared to the federal government."
According to a federal survey done in 2013, only 15 percent of adults in Houston are reported to eat the recommended five or more serving of fruits and vegetables a day. More so, only 18 percent are said to meet the federal exercises guidelines. Almost 65 percent are overweight or obese. Approximately 11 percent have diagnosed by doctors to have diabetes. A number have no access to proper health care with 22 percent in poverty and 23 percent lacking health insurance. With this data in hand, Houston still has a lot of work to be done.
With this in mind, city officials have come up programs like Healthy Corner Store Network, a partnership between Go Healthy Houston and CAN DO Houston, a community organization. This aims to make available fresh fruits and vegetables, healthy beverages and snacks in convenient stores especially in food deserts. Food deserts are areas where access to these healthy options is hard to come by. Part of the program is to educate consumers through sampling and cooking demonstrations.
It's still too early to gauge the success of Go Healthy Houston program. However it is enlightening to know that Houston is no longer in the top 10 obese cities in America. Still, residents and city officials admit that there's still a long way to go.
