COLUMBIA--Supporters of first lady Jenny Sanford's
initiative to get people interested in power walking, raking leaves and other
healthy activities gathered Wed-nesday at the Governor's Mansion to announce a
statewide challenge.
"Mark and I are both passionate about physical activity and staying well. ...
We want people to compete on a statewide basis, to get schools and institutions
to compete with one another. Our state will win as a whole if everyone works to
make themselves healthier," Sanford said after the event, which was attended by
local celebrities and sports mascots from South Carolina schools.
The governor's wife said the "Healthy South Carolina Challenge" has a Web
site to give people information about improving nutrition, increasing physical
activity and quitting smoking. Weekly and monthly updates will help people get
new ideas for improving themselves and their communities, she said.
"By using the Web site, people can share ideas, let others know what they are
doing," Sanford said.
She said a competition will be held to see which county is able to improve
its health statistics over the 2005-06 year.
Also, groups in the state -- such as schools, hospitals, government agencies,
churches or corporations -- are encouraged to join in the competition, she said.
The winning residents of the most-improved county will be invited to visit
with the governor and his wife at an Open House, Jenny Sanford said.
The statistics are kept by the Department of Health and Environmental
Control, rating each county's percentage change in smoking rates, physical
activity and body mass index. In future years, fruit and vegetable consumption
will be added, according to the Web site.
The efforts follow the governor's "family fitness challenge," during which
the first family biked and canoed at sites across the state to focus on the
importance of physical activity.
Dr. Ann Kulze, who will write weekly wellness tips for the Web site, said she
was pleased to take part in the effort -- given that South Carolina ranks 46th
in the country in health according to statistics issued by the U.S. Department
of Health and Human Services.
"The maintenance of a healthy body weight is the single most important step
people can take" to improve their physical well being, the Charleston physician
said.
