Nutrition and Physical Activity

 

The Nutrition and Physical Activity section provides opportunities and professional resources related to nutrition and physical activity.

 

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NPA Section Project

The Nutrition and Physical Activity (NPA) Section of IPHA has successfully recruited students for a project to take place between January 2010 and January 2011.  The goal of the project is to improve nutrition and physical activitiy resource sharing between local and state public health.  We will do this by creating a compendium of resources available at the state level, packaging them, and delivering them to a pilot group of county health departments.  Interested MPH students will participate in an initial meeting where deliver materials to a county health department and give a brief presentation of what the package includes.  Six months after delivery that same group of students will do a follow-up interview to evaluate whether the resources were used and collect qualitative information about the usefulness and practicality of the resource package.  Results from this pilot will then be used to improve the compendium prior to complete dissemination.  This project offers students on the ground experience with public health modernization in Iowa and provides the opportunity for valuable state and county-level professional contacts.

Click here to download a descriptive presentation of the project.  Please contact Christine Hradek with questions or requests for more information.

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The Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) offers a variety of health promotion resources to local public health agencies.  The purpose of this Web tool is to improve communication about the availability of these resources.  The chart below provides a brief description of health promotion resources and programs provided by IDPH.  Click the program name to find a more detailed program description as well as information about target audience, materials, evaluation and IDPH contacts.  Please contact IDPH at any time to learn more about available programs.

Program Name	Target Audience	Brief Description
BASICS - Building and Strengthening Iowa Support for Nutrition and Physical Activity	Children, adults and seniors	Educational programs aimed at increasing the likelihood that low-resource audiences can make healthy food choices.
Pick a better snack & ACT	Children, parents and caregivers	Educational and social marketing campaign aimed at increasing fruit and vegetable consumption.  The campaign encourages increasing physical activity in addition to improving nutrition.
Chef Charles	Seniors	Nutrition education projects for older adults.  Lessons delivered at congregate meal sites.
Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC)	Pregnant women, infants and children up to age 5 that meet income guidelines.	Supplemental nutrition program with the goal of providing healthy foods and nutrition education.
Office of Women's Health	Women and girls	Variety of programs aimed at addressing the unique health needs of women and girls.
Iowans Fit for Life	Children, adults and seniors	Designed to improve the health of all Iowans through balanced nutrition, physical activity and healthy communities.
Live Healthy Iowa, Live Healthy Iowa Kids, Governor's Challenge	Children, adults and seniors	Annual challenge to help Iowans develop healthier habits.  The goal is to make Iowa the healthiest state in America.
Iowa Healthy Community Initiative Grant Program	Local boards of health and subcontractors	Grants are provided to eligible entities to enact local initiatives that encourage healthier lifestyles.
Governor's Council on Physical Fitness and Nutrition	Iowa youth	The council consists of twelve experts in the field of health.  The goal of the council is to support youth in making healthier choices.
Office for Healthy Communities	Children, adults and seniors	Works to build healthy communities by providing technical assistance and education to stimulate health improvement.