Extension Communications
3614 Administrative Services Building
Ames, Iowa 50011-3614
(515) 294-9915
7/15/03
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contacts:
Ruth Litchfield, ISU Extension, (515) 294-9484, litch@iastate.edu
Lynn Allen, Lighten Up Iowa Coordinator, (515) 707-1832, lynn@iowagames.org
Tim Lane, Iowa Department of Public Health, (515) 281-7833, tlane@idph.state.ia.us
Iowans Improve Nutrition and Physical Activity Habits
AMES, Iowa - Who lost 23.5 tons of weight while traveling 2.6 million miles in only five months? Twelve thousand Iowans who participated in Lighten Up Iowa in 2003.
Nearly 1,400 teams of friends, work colleagues, community members, youth and others took up the challenge to improve their nutrition and become more physically active. They tracked their mileage while walking, biking, running, exercising and engaging in other activities. They also ate more fruits and vegetables. The effort paid off with a total weight loss of more than 47,000 pounds.
"Iowans literally have made strides to improve their health through nutrition and physical activity," according to Ruth Litchfield, Iowa State University Extension nutrition specialist. "Yet, there is still room for improvement."
A sample of teams participating in Lighten Up Iowa from January to June were surveyed about their health habits, including nutrition and physical activity, before beginning and after completing the program, Litchfield said. Prior to Lighten Up Iowa
* 76 percent of those surveyed did not meet the "5 A Day" recommendation of eating five servings of fruit and vegetables a day. After the program this dropped to 62 percent.
* 54 percent of those surveyed did not participate in regular exercise (three or more times per week). After the program, only 29 percent reported not participating in regular exercise.
* 65 percent of those surveyed consumed two or more servings of refined foods on a daily basis. After the program only 46 percent reported eating refined foods at this frequency.
According to Tim Lane of the Iowa Department of Public Health, "Lighten Up Iowa is a lighthearted and fun way to address a serious public health issue."
For example, the 2.6 million miles logged by participants is equivalent
to 108 trips around the earth, or 330 round trips from Des Moines, Iowa,
to Honolulu, Hawaii.
Lighten Up Iowa is presented by the Iowa Games in partnership with Iowa
State University Extension and the Iowa Department of Public Health. Another
round of Lighten Up Iowa is scheduled to start Jan. 5, 2004. For more
information, check http://www.lightenupiowa.org.
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