Obesity is a national epidemic and a major contributor to some of the leading causes of death in the U.S., including heart disease, stroke, diabetes and some types of cancer. Nationally, one in three adults and one in four children are obese; and this generation is the first with a shorter life expectancy than their parents.

Locally, a recent survey conducted by the CDC found that 63.4 percent of adults in the Cedar Rapids Metropolitan Area are overweight or obese. These numbers are staggering, but not surprising based on the on lifestyles, market and environmental conditions that exist today opposed to 40 years ago.

Children are not getting the physical exercise they once did in school and the built environment makes it difficult for children to walk to school. Access to fresh foods has become increasingly difficult and on average, Americans are consuming 500 more calories a day than they did in 1970. Even more staggering, between television, computers and video games, children are in front of a screen an average of 7.5 hours a day.

So what can be done to combat disease and reverse these trends? While personal responsibility is easily identifiable, it’s not always achievable in the world we live in today. However, changes to market conditions, community development policy and ultimately the built environment are keys to combating this epidemic. The City of Marion as a part of a larger Linn County coalition that received a $135,000 Plan4Health grant funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and administered through the American Planning Association, to address obesity locally.

Over the next few months the City will be working with RDG Planning and Design, local community representatives, and Linn County Public Health to develop a policy document to address the obesity trend. This project, and the policies created within, will be a model for cities and counties across the state. Only 17 grants were distributed nationally and all eyes are on Marion as we move through this project.

For more information, please visit www.plan4health.us and check back for upcoming meetings and opportunities for input.