thedrifter
05-20-06, 04:50 AM
May 19, 2006
VA fights obesity, diabetes
By Gayle S. Putrich
Times staff writer
The Department of Veterans’ Affairs is joining the fight against diabetes and obesity with a new campaign and a new Web site designed to help people set up and stick with healthier lifestyles.
Managing Obesity/Overweight for Veterans Everywhere, or MOVE, is part of the Healthier U.S. Veterans program, a joint effort by the VA and the Department of Health and Human Services. Anyone can answer a 23-question health quiz online, with questions on topics ranging from eating habits to your emotional state.
Based on answers to the questions, a printable, individualized health plan is created, with suggestions on how to change eating habits, ways to incorporate exercise into daily routine and tips on keeping expectations realistic when starting a new health plan.
Those already enrolled in a VA health plan are also given instructions on how to follow up with a VA health care provider, and are supplied with a code so that their doctor can access their quiz responses and the exercise and eating suggestions generated by the Web site.
The VA estimates 70 percent of its patients are overweight, higher than the 64 percent of the average U.S. population. The recent increase in Type 2 diabetes, or adult-onset diabetes, is often linked by scientists to obesity.
Ellie
VA fights obesity, diabetes
By Gayle S. Putrich
Times staff writer
The Department of Veterans’ Affairs is joining the fight against diabetes and obesity with a new campaign and a new Web site designed to help people set up and stick with healthier lifestyles.
Managing Obesity/Overweight for Veterans Everywhere, or MOVE, is part of the Healthier U.S. Veterans program, a joint effort by the VA and the Department of Health and Human Services. Anyone can answer a 23-question health quiz online, with questions on topics ranging from eating habits to your emotional state.
Based on answers to the questions, a printable, individualized health plan is created, with suggestions on how to change eating habits, ways to incorporate exercise into daily routine and tips on keeping expectations realistic when starting a new health plan.
Those already enrolled in a VA health plan are also given instructions on how to follow up with a VA health care provider, and are supplied with a code so that their doctor can access their quiz responses and the exercise and eating suggestions generated by the Web site.
The VA estimates 70 percent of its patients are overweight, higher than the 64 percent of the average U.S. population. The recent increase in Type 2 diabetes, or adult-onset diabetes, is often linked by scientists to obesity.
Ellie