Whiteside County Healthier Communities Partnership (WCHCP) will participate in National Public Health Week Monday, April 3, 2017, to Sunday, April 9. The WCHCP is made up of 30 local agencies, including health, police, schools, mental health, and other social agencies. All are committed to getting healthier by walking towards their combined goal of 7,000,000 steps, during the week of April 3. These local agencies will track their employees’ steps and combine them with the other WCHCP agencies’ steps to reach their goal.
The WCHCP was established in 1996 with the mission to establish :a healthier and safer Whiteside County.” The 2015 Whiteside County Community Assessment showed that obesity is a serious issue that needs to be addressed in Whiteside County. WCHCP chose obesity as one of the three Whiteside County priorities for the next five years. The other two priorities were depression/anxiety and cancer. The Behavioral Health Risk Factor Survey 2014 data indicated that 35% of adults self-report obesity. The Whiteside County obesity goal is to “reduce the prevalence of obesity from 35% to 28% in a five year period.”
One important way to decrease obesity is to increase physical activity. Physical activity does not only reduce your weight. It reduces the risk of developing diseases like Type 2 diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular disease. Besides controlling weight and disease, physical activity improves your mood, boosts energy, improves sleep, and can be a fun social activity.
The WCHCP wants to act as an example to all of Whiteside County residents by walking to improve health. Agencies and individuals can record their steps at go.illinois.edu/walksforhealth.
For more information about logging your steps contact University of Illinois Extension County Director Janice McCoy at 815-632-3611.