Healthy Eating

Fruit and Vegetable Nutrition
A growing body of research proves that fruits and vegetables are critical to promoting good health. In fact, fruits and vegetables should be the foundation of a healthy diet. Most Michigan residents need to double the amount of fruits and vegetables they eat every day. As a result, strong collaborative efforts are focused on improving access to and consumption of fruits and vegetables.

Healthy Living

Healthy Living
Healthy living encompasses a large variety of lifestyle choices such as active living, healthy eating and tobacco free lifestyles.

 Building Healthy Communities  Unhealthy eating habits, physical inactivity, and tobacco exposure are the three primary modifiable risk factors that contribute to chronic disease.  Michigan Department of Community Health's approach to combating chronic disease to address these behaviors and the multiple factors that influence them, such as family, workplaces, and neighborhood design.  Emphasis is placed on conducting initiatives that address policies and environments.  These types of changes can affect large percentages of the population and make it easier for Michigan citizens to eat healthfully, be physically active, and not smoke.
Building Healthy Communities: A Summary of 15 Michigan Success Stories.

 Building Healthy Communities Grant Opportunity for local health departments.  See the Technical Assistance (TA) Manual for a list of key references, evidence based strategies, and promising practices related to the Building Healthy Communities grant opportunity.

Physical Activity

Centers for Disease Control
CDC has many resources and data to assist in supporting community health initatives for healthier lifestyle.

Design Guidelines for Active Michigan Communities
This is a tool to assist communities in designing their communities to be more supportive of being physical activity. It looks at options to make pedestrians and cyclists safer when they are in route. It includes suggestions for crossings, trails, traffic calming, board walks and education to name a few key areas. Real solutions for your community.

Land Use Affects Public Health
Land Use Affects Public Health is an important resource that emphasizes the need to acknowledge the link between the built environment and public health. It provides critical information which supports the idea of public health officials, local governments, and planning agencies working together to ensure the health of a community's residents.(2003)

Michigan Trails and Greenway Alliance
This site provides information on existing trails, trail projects, technical assistance, events, and legislation for trails in Michigan.

Policy and Legislative Issues
This link will take you to the National Coalition for Promoting Physical Activity website which will provide users with in-depth and up-to-date information addressing a host of issues pertaining to physical activity including health/science, education, environments, population specific outreach, and activity behavior.

Safe Routes to School
Safe Routes to School (SR2S) is an international movement to make it safe, convenient, and fun for children to bicycle and walk to school. When routes are safe, walking or biking to and from school is an easy way to get the regular physical activity children need for good health. Safe Routes to School initiatives also help ease traffic jams and air pollution, unite neighborhoods, and contribute to students' readiness to learn in school. Click the link above for Safe Routes to School information.  Resources available:
 
SRTS Michigan   http://www.saferoutesmichigan.org/       
National Center for SRTS      http://www.saferoutesinfo.org 
National Partnership   http://www.saferoutespartnership.org/home  
Federal SRTS   http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/saferoutes/                                         

The Community Guide
This website has evidence-based recommendations for programs and policies to promote population health. Research summaries provide examples of programs recommended for implementation, as well as, those that do not have proven results. This is an excellent resource for physical activity and tobacco-free programming.