CDC Awards $11M to Cooperative Extension to Combat Obesity

Sixteen land grant universities will receive first-year CDC awards totaling more than $11 million to help reduce disparities in US counties with high rates of obesity. The awards are part of the 5-year High Obesity Program (HOP). Through these awards Cooperative Extension at these sixteen institutions will work to increase the availability of affordable, healthy foods and safe, convenient places for physical activity.

HOP serves counties where more than 40% of adults have obesity. Obesity in the US affects more than 100 million (42%) adults and 14 million (20%) children. Obesity also accounts for approximately $173 billion in annual health care costs. Estimated 5-year program funding for HOP is $57 million. The investment supports the White House National Strategy on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health.

Most HOP awards are in rural areas where there may be limited access to healthy foods and fewer opportunities to be active. HOP recipients leverage state investments, partnerships, and resources from various sectors, such as agriculture, transportation, education, healthcare, parks and recreation, business, housing, and military.

High Obesity Program Recipients:

1. Alabama-Auburn University
2. Arkansas-University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension
3. Georgia-University of Georgia
4. Iowa- Iowa State University of Science and Technology
5. Louisiana-Louisiana State University
6. Mississippi-Mississippi State University
7. Missouri-The Curators of University of Missouri
8. North Carolina-North Carolina State University
9. Ohio-The Ohio State University
10. Oklahoma-Oklahoma State University
11. South Carolina-Clemson University
12. South Dakota-South Dakota State University
13. Tennessee-University of Tennessee
14. Texas-Texas A&M
15. West Virginia-West Virginia University
16. Wisconsin- University of Wisconsin

Recipients will work  to implement proven public health strategies for:

1. Food and nutrition security— promoting food service and nutrition guidelines, expanding fruit and vegetable voucher incentive and produce prescription programs
2. Safe and accessible physical activity— connecting transportation networks to everyday destinations
3. Family healthy weight programs— collaborating with partners to implement family healthy weight programs
4. Early care and education (ECE) settings— improving nutrition and physical activity, and increasing breastfeeding

High Obesity Program History

Since 2014, CDC has funded land grant universities to work with existing county cooperative extension and outreach services in predominantly rural areas that have less access to healthy foods and fewer opportunities to be physically active.   HOP has demonstrated communities’ progress to improve access to healthy foods and physical activity across different settings. In the last funding cycle (2018-2023), CDC funded 15 land grant universities to implement strategies that encourage healthy eating, increased physical activity, and breastfeeding.

In the first 4 years of the 2018-2023 program, select accomplishments included:

1. Improved nutritional quality of food and drink offerings through healthy nutrition standards in community sites, reaching 75,000 people.
2. Increased access to healthier foods through enhanced food systems, reaching 310,000 people.
3. Increased access to opportunities places to be physically active through community and transportation plans that create places for safe and accessible physical activity, reaching 300,000 people.

To learn more about HOP and previous work accomplished through this program, please visit: High Obesity 1809 | DNPAO | CDC.

For more information about the 2023-2028 program.

Source: Janelle Gunn, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention