In Georgia, more than one-third of adults have obesity as do more than one in six high school aged students. Physical activity and healthy eating patterns can cut the risk of chronic conditions such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and obesity. The Georgia Health Policy Center (GHPC) was awarded a five-year grant as part of the State Physical Activity and Nutrition (SPAN) Program, funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. SPAN will address health disparities related to poor nutrition, physical inactivity, and obesity in the state.

GHPC will work with communities and organizational partners to leverage other state investments, relationships, and resources to collectively improve the health and well-being of Georgians by putting into action proven public health strategies to meet SPAN’s overarching goals of making healthy food choices easier, providing safe and accessible physical activity, supporting continuity of care in breastfeeding support, and improving nutrition and physical activity in early care and education settings.

Specifically, the five-year plan for SPAN in Georgia includes:

• Implementing policy, systems, and environmental change strategies that address inequities in nutrition, physical activity, breast feeding, and early care obesity prevention and farm to early care and education
• Incorporating the voice of communities in the adoption, implementation, and evaluation of target strategies in select geographic locations where Georgians experience inequities in access to healthy food, physical activity, preventive care, and obesity prevention strategies
• Strengthening existing and expanding new collaborations and capacity throughout the state for collective impact
• Using evidence-informed communications to improve health behaviors and reduce health disparities in chronic conditions in key communities and populations

Georgia SPAN partners include:

• Healthy Food Guidelines and Procurement: Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta’s Strong4Life
• Farmers Market Vouchers and Produce Prescriptions: Wholesome Wave Georgia
• Physical activity: HealthMPowers
• Breastfeeding: Georgia chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics
• Obesity Prevention/Farm to Early Care and Education: Quality Care for Children

Population Health

Technical Assistance