In this blog, reposted from Live Well Lamoille, Valerie Valcour of shares about the 3-4-50 campaign.
Did you know that where you live, your zip code, is important to your health? Do you think that where you work, play and learn are also important to your health? How about when you stop in that corner market for a quick snack or when you meet for church service, do you think these places impact your health too? The Vermont Department of Health says yes.
The Vermont Department of Health has added two new organizations to the list of 3-4-50 partners. There are new Tip Sheets and Sign-On forms for retailers and faith-communities. Haven’t heard of 3-4-50?
3-4-50 is a simple but powerful way to understand and communicate the overwhelming impact of chronic disease in Vermont. 3-4-50 represents 3 behaviors – lack of physical activity, poor nutrition and tobacco use – that lead to 4 chronic diseases – cancer, heart disease/stroke, type 2 diabetes and lung disease – resulting in more than 50 percent of all deaths in Vermont.
Retail establishments, like the corner markets, can help you meet your goals for good health by displaying healthy snack options like fruit and nuts and they can keep tobacco products out of eye-sight, especially from children.
Faith-communities can set guidelines that make sure healthy foods are made available during coffee hours, potlucks and meetings. They can also create property-wide tobacco-free spaces. Having bike racks or offering physical activity options for gatherings can also help the overall health of the community.
Join the Lamoille Valley 3-4-50 Partners and sign your organization on to good health and wellness today! http://www.healthvermont.gov/3-4-50
Check out the blog at Live Well Lamoille here.
Valerie Valcour is a Public Health Nurse and specializes in chronic disease prevention and emergency preparedness at the community level for the Department of Health in Morrisville. Valerie has lived in Lamoille County most of her life. She graduated from People’s Academy in 1983 and worked as a nurse at Copley Hospital for several years. In addition to her work, she volunteers as a board member of both Community Health Services of Lamoille Valley and the Lamoille County Planning Commission.