Greensboro Puts High Priority on Healthy Lifestyles
anita ramachandran, bald eagle trail, candice bruton, dexter j. hill, fit community, greensboro, guilford county department of public health, health care, landy griffin, north carolina,
North Carolina’s natural beauty belies some statistics that are not so pretty: 61 percent of adults are overweight and 25 percent have not exercised in the last 30 days.
But Greensboro is bucking that trend.
The city was named a “Fit Community” by a statewide program aimed at encouraging healthier lifestyles.
“The Fit Community designation for Greensboro is a great opportunity to be recognized statewide‚ particularly when it was one of only eight areas chosen the first year‚” says Anita Ramachandran‚ community health educator for the Guilford County Department of Public Health.
As facilitator of the Heart and Stroke Health Partnership‚ which helped put together the Fit Community application‚ Ramachandran is serious about promoting better health for all.
“The Fit Community program is a great tool to get the word out to our citizens that we have all the facilities available now to incorporate physical activity in our lifestyle‚” she says.
The Greensboro Parks and Recreation Department is a key contributor to the Fit Community profile‚ says Candice Bruton‚ strategic planning administrator for the department. In addition to traditional organized athletics‚ the Parks and Recreation Department provides 80 miles of walking trails and greenways that are enticing more and more people to get out and get moving.
“The trails and greenways give people the opportunity to recreate when it’s convenient for them‚ an act that doesn’t cost them anything except for a pair of walking sneakers‚” Bruton says.
The obesity problem “is concerning‚” she says‚ especially as it impacts the younger generation.
“We feel like Parks and Recreation can be part of the solution‚” Bruton adds.
Exercise is a huge concern for the Heart and Stroke Health Partnership‚ which was formed in 1995 to address heart disease and stroke issues. The partnership includes a number of organizations – such as the state Department of Transportation and area hospitals‚ for example – that would not normally gather around a table to talk about stroke and health concerns‚ says Ramachandran. The result is positive momentum for the community‚ leading to changes such as improved sidewalk ordinances and healthy school food initiatives.
In fact‚ one of the criteria for the Fit Community designation is healthy eating‚ which brings the Greensboro Farmer’s Curb Market into play‚ along with the larger Piedmont Triad Farmer’s Market.
The Piedmont Triad Farmer’s Market‚ off Interstate 40 at Sandy Ridge Road‚ features hundreds of vendors selling produce and other wares seven days a week year-round.
“This market offers pretty much anything we produce agriculturally in the state‚” says Dexter J. Hill‚ market director.
Opened in May 1995‚ the market sees 15‚000 to 20‚000 shoppers on Saturdays during peak growing seasons‚ Hill says.
“The majority of the people who come to this market feel good about the products they’re getting from their neighbor‚ as compared to going to the grocery store‚ not knowing who they’re buying from‚ what country they are buying from‚ how long it has been sitting on the shelves‚” Hill says.
The Fit Community initiative‚ begun in 2005‚ is being sponsored by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina and the N.C. Health and Wellness Trust Fund. The program was created in response to the growing interest in healthy lifestyles‚ Ramachandran says.
“It’s alarming when you look at those numbers‚” she says.
“It’s something that needs to be addressed. We’re trying everything we can to turn the numbers around.”
Story by Catherine Darnell
Photo by Brian McCord
