South Carolina Takes Action to Reduce High Obesity Rates

Lori Phillips, DNPAO Director, SC DHEC

At A Glance

The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) is taking steps to make healthy environments accessible to all residents across the state. DHEC is working with 45 counties in South Carolina to add healthy eating and active living (HEAL) principles to address access to healthy foods and provide opportunities for daily physical activity. Already, 8 of the 45 counties have received technical assistance and are taking steps to add HEAL principles to their comprehensive community planning efforts, potentially benefitting 1 million residents.

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Public Health Challenge

Lack of access to healthy foods and physical activity contributes to high rates of chronic conditions such as diabetes and obesity. South Carolina has the 10th highest adult obesity rate in the nation, according to The State of Obesity: Better Policies for a Healthier America. Approximately, 12% and 7% of South Carolina adults did not eat recommended daily amounts of fruit and vegetables respectively in 2013. Approximately 25% did not engage in leisure-time physical activity such as walking, dancing, hiking, or swimming in 2014. In addition, many neighborhoods in South Carolina lack sidewalks and other features of the built environments (e.g., streets, open spaces, infrastructure) that encourage active transportation. With an understanding of how built environments affect health, DHEC took action to address HEAL concepts in community planning on a statewide scale.

Find Out More

South Carolina is thinking long-term about infrastructure and growth. We want people to have access to healthy foods and daily physical activity. These comprehensive plans are one way to set that foundation for healthier communities in the future.
- Lori Phillips

Contact
Lori Phillips, DNPAO Director, SC DHEC
SC Department of Health and Environmental Control
2600 Bull Street

Columbia, GA 29201
Phone: 803-898-1649

Atlanta, GA 30348
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Contact CDC

http://www.cdc.gov/cdc-info/requestform.html

Web site

http://www.cdc.gov/nccdsuccessstories

Approach

What's Next

Results

A DHEC baseline evaluation report on the inclusion of HEAL concepts--in county comprehensive plans--showed that only 2 of the 45 South Carolina counties integrated healthy eating concepts such as food access and consumption and only 12 out of the 45 South Carolina counties integrated active living concepts such as safe routes to schools and access to open spaces, parks, and trails. From 2014-2016, the toolkit was promoted through 13 state and national conferences reaching 1,000 community planners, government, and health representatives. Four regional toolkit trainings were held with 100 community planners, government, and health representatives in attendance. In addition, 8 of the 45 counties—Aiken, Berkeley, Darlington, Florence, Greenwood, Orangeburg, Spartanburg, and York—received technical assistance on integrating HEAL best practices into comprehensive plans.