Guest Commentary: Looking for ways to trim Jersey's waist

The following guest commentary was written by David Knowlton, president and CEO of the New Jersey Health Care Quality Institute, and Bill Dressel, executive director for the New Jersey State League of Municipalities.

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New Jersey is getting fatter.

Obesity rates in our state rose yet again last year, according to a new report released Aug. 27 by the Trust for America's Health. It appears that Garden Staters are choosing the Philadelphia cheese steak over the Jersey Tomato more often than not. And when it comes to physical activity we are most definitely not heeding the anthem of New Jersey native Bruce Springsteen, who suggested we were "Born to Run."

According to the Trust report, the rate of adult obesity increased in New Jersey from 2005 to 2006, and 27.3 percent of adults in New Jersey report that they do not engage in any physical activity. The national average is 22 percent. Sadly, we are number one in the entire country when it comes to the incidence of child obesity among low-income children.

It is not as if we are not making an effort:

New Jersey is one of 17 states that require their school lunches, breakfasts, and snacks to meet higher nutritional standards than the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) requires.

New Jersey is one of 22 states that have set nutritional standards for foods sold in vending machines, a la carte, in school stores, or in bake sales in schools.

New Jersey is one of 26 states that limit when and where these foods may be sold on school property beyond federal requirements.

The dichotomy that is New Jersey epitomizes both the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead as we work to battle the epidemic of obesity. New Jersey is a state that once sought to eliminate its physical education requirement for its public schools, and yet we are home to more in-season professional athletes than anywhere in the nation. New Jersey is a proud agricultural "Garden State" whose roadside farm stands and "Jersey Fresh" produce are nationally renowned, and yet we are headquarters to three of the world's largest food manufacturers (Campbell's, Mars and Goya) who are sometimes accused of targeting unhealthy products at children.

But we can no longer use our diversity as an excuse. We have to act now. Consider just one startling fact and you too will understand the urgency: The Centers for Disease Control recently suggested that the current generation of American children may become the first generation in our nation's history to have a shorter life expectancy than their parents. The primary culprit? The near-epidemic incidence of diabetes in children.

That is why the New Jersey Health Care Quality Institute and the New Jersey State League of Municipalities have partnered to get our state on the road to active living and healthy lifestyles. Funded by a $200,000 grant by Aetna, the "Mayors' Wellness Campaign" now counts more than 200 of New Jersey's local leaders as champions of community health.

The goal of our effort is to increase opportunities for New Jersey residents to participate in daily physical activity with a long-term goal of reducing health care costs secondary to obesity. Through public-private partnerships, the MWC provides structure and resources for healthy community initiatives. By encouraging mayors to play a leadership role in supporting local opportunities for active, healthy lifestyles, the intent of the MWC is to improve health and make New Jersey a national leader in community-based health interventions.

Last year, each of the 566 mayors in New Jersey's municipalities were mailed the MWC "Toolbox," a manual designed to guide them through the implementation of wellness programs in their communities. Broken down into four major sections -- Youth in Motion; Employees in Motion; Seniors in Motion; and Communities in Motion -- the Toolbox outlines programs that can be directly used in every community in New Jersey.

With the support of former Governor Jim Florio, former First Lady Lucinda Florio and Dr. Mehmet Oz of the Columbia University Medical Center, we believe we can make a difference. Thus far, the response has been incredible.

Mayors across New Jersey have taken up the challenge and created programs that they believe will work best in their town. One needs only to Google "Mayors' Wellness Campaign" to see evidence of the breadth and scope of the initiative's reach. On Oct. 2, we will host our second "Mayors' Healthy Cook-Off" in West Deptford, where mayors will compete to create healthy, tasty recipes. Eighteen mayors competed in our first cook-off in Parsippany in June, and we hope to top that number in South Jersey.

We can do so much more. We invite our food manufacturers, our professional athletes, our political leadership and yes, our media, to become a part of the solution and join our effort. And finally, to you more than 300 mayors in the state who have not yet joined our cost-free campaign: What are you waiting for? Go to http://www.mayorswellnesscampaign.org and get on board today!