Health Education

Chronic Disease Health Promotion and Education Program

Jefferson, Suwannee, Lafayette, Madison, Hamilton, and Taylor Counties, are connected by the State of Florida’s Chronic Disease Health Promotion and Education (CDHPE) Program. This program works to develop and implement health promotion programs that work to reduce the incidence and deaths from heart disease and stroke; decrease overweight and obesity; increase physical activity; decrease tobacco use; and reduce the incidence, complications, and deaths from diabetes mellitus.

The focus of the CDHPE program is on policy and environmental change strategies rather than on individual behavior change. Research indicates that establishing health related policies and environmental changes impact many individuals by providing a foundation for making or maintaining healthy life choices. A few examples of changes the program works to bring about are:

Installing a walking track or softball field to increase physical activity in a community;
Create a policy and the structure to support diabetes education classes which were not previously offered in a community,
Ensure available food choices in the schools or after-school programs include healthy alternatives.

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