Why Focus on Wellness and Preventing Obesity?  Is it Really that Important?

In a word, "yes!"  Rates of obesity and overweight keep increasing in adults and children and excess weight is strongly linked with a host of serious chronic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and colon cancer. (See the Childhood Obesity section and Obesity Fact Sheet for more information, and check the CHI introductory slide presentation and outline for new CHI users to help you explain the issues to your congregation.)

Obesity-related health problems can take years off our lives - and the life out of our years. Caring for our sacred bodies and helping children reach their full potential can be important expressions of our faith. (See Prayers and Readings for inspiration.)

How Might the CHI Change Your Congregation?

After using the CHI and working on some action items, hopefully you will find that:

• Most food offered at your congregation – whether for meetings, fellowship time, religious education, events, after-school or summer programs, or food assistance programs – promotes health.
• You are using creative ways to bring affordable, healthy food to congregants and neighbors, such as through a farm stand or buying club on your property, or a vegetable garden.
• You are active together: when you socialize, have meetings, or as a regular part of religious education and youth group time.  Or, you prepare a room or outdoor area for physical activity (and possibly open it to the neighborhood too), work in an on-site garden, or bike to worship services because you have a safe, welcoming place to leave your bike.
• Wellness has become a part of your faith community’s culture and identity, traditions, and a way to express your values and spirituality.
• You feel called to work on community health and social justice issues so that everyone will have access to environments that make them healthier.

Now it's time to get started. Click here for instructions, or for a copy of the CHI assessment guide that you can print out and write on. (Haga un clic aquí, para el Índice de la Salud de Su Congregación; ahora es una copia borrador.) You can use an online pdf form to keep track of your CHI work, if you prefer. Be sure to save a copy to your computer before you start filling in your answers.