Clear Impact logo

Result 1: Improved Health Status for New Mexicans

P002: Percent of adults who are considered obese

Current Value

29.2%

2017

Definition

Line Bar

Story Behind the Curve

  • Adult obesity is tracked and reported through the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) as the percent of respondents whose self-reported height and weight corresponds to a Body Mass Index (BMI) equal to or greater than 30.0.
  • Among New Mexico’s adults, 64.8% are overweight or obese (American Indians have the highest rates at over 74%). Similarly, over one-in-four adults ages 45 years and older has been diagnosed with two or more chronic diseases. Adults with lower socioeconomic status are at greater risk for adopting unhealthy lifestyle behaviors, becoming overweight or obese, and developing chronic disease.
  • The NMDOH Office of Nutrition and Physical Activity (ONAPA) works closely with local Healthy Kids Healthy Communities (HKHC) coordinators to engage partners and build support for implementing sustainable physical activity and healthy eating initiatives coupled with nutrition education.
  • Diverse multi-sector coalitions comprised of key community leaders help HKHC achieve meaningful progress in the local food system and built environment.
  • ONAPA continues to create environments that make it easier for people to eat a healthy diet and be physically active through tasting and cooking demonstrations to increase exposure and access to healthy foods among low-income adults, specifically Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Program recipients.

Partners

  • New Mexico Public Education Department
  • New Mexico Children, Youth, and Families Department
  • New Mexico Human Services Department
  • New Mexico Department of Transportation
  • NMDOH WIC Program
  • New Mexico State University
  • University of New Mexico
  • NMDOH health promotion
  • Schools
  • Planning organizations
  • Parks and Recreation
  • Local/Tribal governments
  • Healthy Kids Healthy Communities (Chaves, Cibola, Colfax, Curry, Dona Ana, Eddy, Grant, Guadalupe, Hidalgo, Lincoln, Luna, Roosevelt, San Juan, Socorro counties; pueblos of San Ildefonso, Zuni, Ohkay Owingeh).

What Works

  • Increased opportunities for, exposure to, and consumption of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat dairy as well as increased physical activity and limited screen time.
  • Implement healthy eating and physical activity strategies in a multi-sector approach - policymakers, state and local organizations, business and community leaders, school, childcare and healthcare professionals, and individuals working together to create an environment that supports a healthy lifestyle. Policy, systems, and environmental changes coupled with nutrition education can also have a positive impact on adult behavior and health and weight status.

Strategy

  • Implement tasting and cooking demonstrations to increase exposure and access to healthy foods among the 40,000 low-income families and 16,000 low-income senior adults that receive services from food assistance sites across the state, including WIC.

FY18 Annual Progress Summary

In FY18, Obesity, Nutrition, and Physical Activity Program (ONAPA) partnered with both state and local organizations to align policy, systems, and environmental obesity prevention efforts with direct nutrition education to support healthy eating and physical activity among the low-income adult population. ONAPA primarily partnered with New Mexico State University Cooperative Extension Service to implement tasting, cooking, and/or gardening lessons in food assistance program and/or distribution sites, farmers’ markets, WIC clinics, and senior centers in rural, frontier, tribal, and low-income areas. ONAPA enhanced nutrition education efforts by leveraging funding from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to create policy, systems, and environmental changes in communities including: 1) increasing access to a healthy and affordable food supply in rural, frontier, tribal, and low-income areas through the implementation of healthy food stores or mobile grocery stores, farmers’ markets, and/or community gardens; 2) creating safe and active outdoor open space (parks and playgrounds) for community use; 3) increasing the number of safe walking and biking routes that connect neighborhoods to schools and other community points of interest; and 4) supporting Complete Streets initiatives that increase access to community areas for walking and biking. 

Clear Impact Suite is an easy-to-use, web-based software platform that helps your staff collaborate with external stakeholders and community partners by utilizing the combination of data collection, performance reporting, and program planning.

Scorecard Container Measure Action Actual Value Target Value Tag S A m/d/yy m/d/yyyy