Oklahoma State among select group in Partnership for a Healthier America effort to curb obesity in young adults
Thursday, May 3, 2018
Oklahoma State University is among a select group being recognized for its work to combat the poor health habits that can set college students on a lifetime of potential poor health, which has implications on our nation’s military readiness and the costs of increasing chronic disease.
The Partnership for a Healthier America has announced Oklahoma State and 20 other colleges and universities have implemented rigorous guidelines to become healthier campuses and stand out among their peers – resulting in more than 1 million, students, faculty and staff eating better and moving more. These guidelines ranged from healthy wellness meals to access to potable water, as well as more diverse opportunities for physical activity.
“We celebrate the efforts of this pioneering cohort of colleges and universities as they push the social norm toward healthier living for young adults – a key target for prevention and turning the tide on the obesity epidemic,” said Dr. William H. Dietz, PHA board member and Chair of the Sumner M. Redstone Global Center for Prevention and Wellness at Milken Institute School of Public Health at George Washington University. “Their work and achievements are impressive and important – we congratulate them on their leadership role in the movement to create a culture shift toward healthier living for generations to come.”
PHA’s 21 graduating campuses are:
American University (DC)
Arizona State (Ariz.)
Binghamton University (N.Y.)
Bucknell University (Pa.)
Clayton State University (Ga.)
Florida International University (Fla.)
George Mason (Va.)
The George Washington University (DC)
Georgia Institute of Technology (Ga.)
North Carolina State University (N.C.)
Oakwood University (Ala.)
The Ohio State University (Ohio)
Oklahoma State University (Okla.)
Saint Louis University (Mo.)
University of California, Los Angeles (Calif.)
University of Arizona (Ariz.)
University of Miami (Fla.)
University of New Hampshire (N.H.)
University of North Dakota (N.D.)
University of Wisconsin - Madison (Wis.)
Washington University in St. Louis (Mo.)
As part of their multi-year commitment, Healthier Campus Initiative (HCI) partners enhance their campus environments to encourage and support greater physical activity and healthier eating habits. Each college or university partner commits to meeting 23 of 41 guidelines within three years. The guidelines were developed by PHA in collaboration with some of the nation’s leading nutrition, physical activity and campus wellness experts. As with all PHA partners, each of the commitment elements have been verified by an independent third party and are publicly reported in PHA’s annual progress reports.
The Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA) is devoted to working with the private sector to ensure the health of our nation’s youth by solving the childhood obesity crisis. In 2010, PHA was created in conjunction with – but independent from – First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! effort. PHA is a nonpartisan nonprofit organization that is led by some of the nation’s most respected health and childhood obesity experts. PHA brings together public, private and nonprofit leaders to broker meaningful commitments and develop strategies to end childhood obesity. Most important, PHA ensures that commitments made are commitments kept by working with unbiased, third parties to monitor and publicly report on the progress our partners are making. For more information about PHA, please visit www.aHealthierAmerica.org and follow PHA on Twitter @PHAnews.