Mississippi needs to take action- a message from the American College of Sports Medicine

Physical inactivity and obesity are at epidemic proportions in the United States resulting in an increase in the prevalence of a multitude of chronic diseases, poor quality of life and premature deaths. The health care expenditures associated with physical inactivity and obesity continues to rise each year with increasingly catastrophic costs to society.

The key fundamentals for improving physical activity behaviors involves increasing awareness and motivation at the personal level, providing a built environment and resources that encourage physical activity, as well as setting policies to better enable individuals and communities to engage in physical activity as part of a healthier lifestyle.

Jackson certainly ranks near the bottom in for preventive health behaviors, levels of chronic disease conditions, and community supports and policies for physical activity. As a Mississippian, I advocate and encourage our community leadership and citizens to positively focus future efforts on improving our city's challenges related to healthy, active living in our community.