NORTH CAROLINA ORGANIZATIONS & WEB SITES

The North Carolina Division of Public Health’s mission is protecting, promoting and preserving the health of North Carolinians through ethical, compassionate and evidence-based health practice. Several programs exist under the umbrella of the Division, including:

www.eatsmartmovemorenc.com - The Web site for the Physical Activity and Nutrition (PAN) Branch, Chronic Disease and Injury Section of the NC Division of Public Health. This statewide initiative promotes increased opportunities for physical activity and healthy eating through policy and environmental change. Files for download include “NC Blueprint for Changing Policies and Environments in Support of Healthy Eating” and “NC Blueprint for Changing Policies and Environments in Support of Increased Physical Activity.”  Follow the “Programs and Organizations” link to view information about programs including the NC Healthy Weight Initiative, Color Me Healthy, Five A Day, Strive for Five, and more. Be sure to check out the Resource Library that has numerous tools for eating smart and moving more in the real world (i.e., “Ideas for Physical Activity Breaks in Meetings” and “ Three Tasty Ways to Eat Well on Road Trips”). There are also handouts, modules, useful links…..and much more!

www.nutritionnc.com – The website of the NC Nutrition Services Branch, Women’s and Children’s Health Section of the NC Division of Public Health. Explore the Nutrition Education and Training (NET) Program library, materials and information about Team Nutrition, nutrition data on school-age children, information about WIC and other food service programs, and links to many other valuable resources.

NC Prevention Partners strives to put prevention first for a healthier NC by fostering partnerships, promoting prevention and influencing policy. At www.ncpreventionpartners.org, find links to physical activity and nutrition resources, other prevention resources, North Carolina’s Prevention Report Card, the Winner’s Circle Healthy Dining Program, and more.

NC Healthy Schools (www.nchealthyschools.org) focuses on improving the health of students and staff by providing coordination and resources in eight component areas of school health. The web site describes those eight components in detail and provides links to help schools find funding opportunities and access grant writing assistance. Several state and national reports are available for download, including NC YRBS reports and NC School Health Education Profiles.

North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (www.ncpublicschools.org) - In addition to lots of information about NC Schools, find an overview of the Healthy Active Children Policy, passed by the State Board of Education in January 2003.

Kate B. Reynolds SELF Improvement Program (Smoking, Education, Lifestyle, Fitness) - Grantees are working in communities across North Carolina, focusing on populations who are most at risk for developing chronic diseases and designing local prevention methods to lower risks. Each program is different and focuses on the needs of individuals in their community. All are working to curb tobacco use, improve nutrition, and/or increase physical activity. SELF Improvement is administered by Duke Community Health and its projects are described on the Web at http://kbrselfimprove.mc.duke.edu.

Be Active North Carolina is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the health of all North Carolinians.  Its mission is to increase physical activity levels and healthy lifestyles of all North Carolinians through people, programs and policies.  At www.beactivenc.org, individuals can log daily steps & distances, gather information about programs for youth and adults and access tips for improving health.  

NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS & WEB SITES

The VERB Campaign for Kids is a $200 million national effort, targeted at 9-13 year olds, focused on getting “tweeners” to be more physically active throughout their day. By registering and logging onto the fun and interactive web site, kids can track their daily activities, learn new game ideas, and even watch videos with famous instructors who demonstrate dance, skateboard and BMX moves. Check it out!

The National Coalition for Promoting Physical Activity has a mission of uniting the strengths of public, private, and industry efforts into collaborative partnerships that inspire and empower all Americans to lead more physically active lifestyles. On their web site (www.ncppa.org), find useful reports and tools, including a series of Physical Activity Fact Sheets and a resource document titled, “Active Communication: A Guide to Reaching the Media.”

US Department of Health and Human Services, Center for Disease Control (www.cdc.gov) is a tremendous source of information for all aspects of health. Follow the Overweight and Obesity link to read about Defining Overweight and Obesity, Body Mass Index, Obesity Trends, Contributing Factors, Health Consequences, Recommendations, and more. Also, check out the following CDC interactive web site for kids.

www.bam.gov – Body and Mind – a student & teacher site with stress reduction, nutrition and physical activity information cards, interactive pages, and links

US Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes for Health This web site (www.nih.gov) contains a great deal of information on all aspects of health. Follow the Health Topic link for Obesity and find several helpful resources including modules called, “Helping Your Overweight Child,” “Interactive Menu Planner,” and “Portion Distortion.”  Also find links to NIH Institutions, including the National Cancer Institute (www.nci.nih.gov), which has articles on the relationship between obesity and cancer, as well as brochures and other resources about healthy eating, physical activity, and healthy cooking.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) offers great tools for improving nutrition in schools. Resources include the School Foods Toolkit, which contains all kinds of information about food and vending in schools, and how to affect change. At (www.cspinet.org/schoolfood), download tips and sample materials for communicating with decision makers and the press. Read about and contact other individuals, organizations and states that are working to improve the nutritional quality of school foods and beverages.

The American Council for Fitness and Nutrition works with partners in pursuit of obesity solutions, to raise awareness of the nutrition education and physical activity programs designed to help individuals and communities, and to demonstrate and communicate industry actions and commitment to finding effective solutions. Visit the Web site (www.acfn.org) to view news releases, testimonies before Congress, descriptions of national, state and local programs, and more.

OTHER USEFUL WEB SITES

www.eatright.org – The web site of the American Dietetic Association is full of valuable resources including nutrition fact sheets, books, tips for healthy eating and more.

http://ctb.ku.edu – The goal of the Community Tool Box is to support your work in promoting community health and development. The Tool Box provides over 6,000 pages of practical skill-building information on over 250 different topics. Topic sections include step-by-step instruction, examples, check-lists, and related resources.

www.kidnetic.com – This is a fun kids’ pages with healthy recipes disguised under the label Gross Out Delights.

www.5aday.com – This site offers free downloads of kids’ activities, recipe tips, charts for recording healthy eating, and retail offerings of signs, posters, and more in Spanish and English.

www.whymilk.com  – Contact the National Dairy Council for brochures including Eat To Win and Sports Nutrition Pyramid.

www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/ - The Food and Nutrition Information Center (FNIC) web site provides a directory to credible, accurate, and practical resources for consumers, nutrition and health professionals, educators and government personnel. Visitors can find printable educational materials, government reports, research papers and more.

schoolmeals.nal.usda.gov/ - The Healthy School Meals Resource System (HSMRS) provides information to persons working in USDA's Child Nutrition Programs and instruction on how to borrow school food service publications from National Agricultural Library (NAL).