Childhood obesity is a major cause for concern because of the link between childhood and adult obesity and chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, cancer and stroke.
Although Denver’s adult obesity rate is lower than the U.S. as a whole, it has more than doubled in the last two decades. The rate has grown from 10% in 1990 to 20% in 2009. During the 2012/2013 school year, 31% of Denver’s school-aged children (kindergarten through 9th grade) were overweight or obese. This is consistent with the national average of 33%. These rates will remain the same or increase for all age groups until action is taken to reverse the trends.
By December 2018, the five-year HEAL goal is to increase the percentage of children in Denver who are at a healthy weight by five percentage points, from 69% to 74%.
The HEAL Task Force identified seven objectives in order to increase the percentage of children in Denver who are at a healthy weight by five percentage points, from 69% to 74%, by December 2018.
The Be Healthy Denver team would like to thank the following HEAL Task Force Members for their important work in developing the CHIP and the HEAL Action Plan: