DETROIT, Sept. 22 /PRNewswire/ -- Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network's Community Based Efforts to Promote Healthy Aging are offering grants to nonprofit organizations with innovative programs to improve physical activity and nutrition among elderly Michigan residents.
According to a Centers for Disease Control report(1), more than half of all Americans are either overweight or obese. In Michigan, the percentage of overweight adults increased more than 67 percent between 1995 and 2001, putting the state in third place for the highest prevalence of obesity in the nation. The CDC also reports that more than 65 percent of adults age 65 and older get an insufficient amount of leisure-time physical activity, including more than 33 percent who engage in none at all.
"The results of insufficient physical activity in an aging population include widespread osteoporosis, the main cause of fractured bones for older adults, and increased risk of coronary heart disease, hypertension and some forms of cancer," said David Share, M.D., MPH, clinical director of the Center for Health Care Quality and Evaluative Studies at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan.
"By adopting a healthier, more active lifestyle, seniors may be able to prevent or reduce the impact of various chronic conditions that result from sedentary behavior and poor nutrition."
Nine $5,000 grants are available for fourth-quarter 2004. Any nonprofit organization whose primary responsibility is serving older adults can apply for a grant. For more information, contact Tyffany Shadd-Coleman at (248) 448-5045 or tshadd@bcbsm.com .
Community Based Efforts to Promote Healthy Aging grants are part of the Michigan Blues' Social Mission Health Initiatives, which aim to improve the health status of Michigan residents by focusing on four key community health issues: Access to Health Care, Depression Awareness and Treatment, Domestic Violence and Abuse Prevention, and Physical Activity and Nutrition.
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, a nonprofit corporation, provides health care benefits to nearly 4.8 million members through a variety of plans: Traditional, Blue Preferred and Community Blue PPOs, Blue Choice Point of Service, and the Blue Care Network HMO. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network are nonprofit corporations and independent licensees of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. For more information visit http://www.bcbsm.com/ .
(1) Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Survey Data. Atlanta, Georgia: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan; Blue Care NetworkCONTACT: Cheryl McDonald of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan,+1-313-225-8121, mediarelations@bcbsm.com
Web site: http://www.bcbsm.com/
