Every month in 2012, the US Department of Health and Human Services is focusing on high-priority health issues, and actions that can be taken to address them. The monthly series, entitled Who's Leading the Leading Health Indicators?, highlights a success story from an organization that has made significant progress toward addressing the featured health topic. This month, we're focusing on Healthy People's Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity topic area.

Most Americans do not eat a healthful diet and are not as physically active as they should be. As a result, the Nation has experienced a dramatic increase in obesity. Today, approximately 1 in 3 adults (34.0%) and 1 in 6 children and adolescents (16.2%) are obese. Obesity-related conditions include heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes, which are among the leading causes of death.

About the Leading Health Indicators (LHIs)

Healthy People 2020 provides a comprehensive set of 10-year, national goals and objectives for improving the health of all Americans. Healthy People 2020 contains 42 topic areas with nearly 600 objectives (with others still evolving), which encompass 1,200 measures.

In fall of 2011, the US Department of Health and Human Services launched the Healthy People 2020 Leading Health Indicators (LHIs). The LHIs are a smaller set of Healthy People 2020 objectives, and will be used to assess the health of the Nation, facilitate collaboration across sectors, and motivate action at the national, state, and community levels to improve the health of the U.S. population.

Save the Date!

The LHI Webinar on Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity will be held on May 29, from 12:00-12:45 EDT. We will be answering questions via the Webinar chat feature and through Twitter (@gohealthypeople). Register now to reserve your spot.

How are you leading the leading health indicators on nutrition, physical activity and obesity? We would love to hear your stories and comments. Share them below, or follow the #LHI hashtag on Twitter to connect with your peers who are talking about this critical health topic.

If you are like many of us, you have found that applying the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans in your communties, families, and everyday lives can be challenging. These two important policy documents provide guidance on the importance of being physically active and selecting nutritious foods for living a long and healthy life. However, we know individuals are frequently crunched for time, on a limited budget, or just do not know how to make healthy foods taste yummy. Whatever challenges members of your community face when it comes to living a healthy lifestyle, the Eat Healthy ● Be Active Community Workshops can help you teach adults how to be active and make healthy food choices everyday in the places where they live, work, and play.

Based on the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelies for Americans and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010, the Eat Healthy ● Be Active Community Workshops are designed for community educators, health promoters, dietitians/nutritionists, cooperative extension agents, and others to teach adults how to put the Guidelines into practice in their everyday lives. This information is creatively packaged in six easy-to-use, interactive workshops. Each workshop contains specific learning objectives, icebreaker activities, talking points, handouts, evaluation forms to gather feedback from participants, and hands-on activities for helping to make lasting lifestyle changes. In addition, the workshop series includes video vignettes, live demonstrations, and a list of helpful resources. The complete Eat Healthy ● Be Active Community Workshop series is made up of the following: 

1. Enjoy Healthy Food That Tastes Great

2. Quick, Healthy Meals and Snacks

3. Eating Healthy on a Budget

4. Top Tips for Losing Weight and Keeping It Off

5. Making Healthy Eating Part of Your Total Lifestyle

6. Physical Activity is the Key to Living Well

We know every community and every family is different. That’s why the Eat Healthy ● Be Active Community Workshops and corresponding materials were created to be suitable for all groups of adults, including those who may not have the ability to find, understand, and use basic health information. Developed using health literacy principles, the workshops were pilot tested at ten sites across the U.S., including cooperative extension programs, worksite wellness programs, Head Start, and community groups. After attending the workshops, many participants reported increased physical activity levels and positive behavior changes in their nutrition choices. So no matter where your community is located, the Eat Healthy ● Be Active Community Workshops can help you teach adults how to develop and maintain a healthy lifestyles through regular physical activity and healthy eating.

Download all the workshops, along with an introduction and appendix section, for free at www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines.

How could you use the Eat Healthy ● Be Active Community Workshops in your community?

As our traditional election month begins, we want to focus on government policies that promote physical activity. This month, our bloggers will start a conversation on Policy in Action. We are excited to hear what you have to say about policies promoting physical activity in your communities. As always, thanks for reading the PAG blog and joining the conversation.

This month's bloggers:

• American College of Sports Medicine
• International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association
• National Coalition for Promoting Physical Activity
• International Council on Active Aging