Our Focus: Healthy Eating & Active Living
Helping Greenville County residents make the healthy choice the easy choice.
Background
In 2008, the Piedmont Health Foundation commissioned research from Furman University that found 41% of Greenville County youth to be overweight or obese. Children who are overweight or obese are at risk of Type 2 diabetes, asthma, heart failure, and more.
Like communities across the nation, Greenville County has seen an increase in obesity rates as residents have less access to healthy foods, spend more time in cars than on foot, and are presented with numerous opportunities to consume unhealthy snacks and drinks.
The Piedmont Health Foundation’s approach to tackling childhood obesity in our community is to work in collaboration with partners from business, health care, government, education and other sectors to increase opportunities for healthy eating and active living.
Our Impact
Since 2007, Piedmont Health Foundation has invested just under $500,000 in grants for healthy eating and active living. But our support has leveraged $4.7 million in investments in our community. But more importantly, policies, systems and environments in Greenville County have changed to support healthy eating and active living.
Highlights
Piedmont Health Foundation established this coalition of more than 100 partners working to make the healthy choice the easy choice is schools, workplaces, around town, at mealtime, and more. Learn more by visiting livewellgreenville.org.
We have partnered with our district and dozens of individual schools as cafeterias have transitioned to scratch-cooked meals featuring local produce and as PTAs have traded fundraising with junk foods for healthier profit-makers.