Welcome to Healthy U!

Do you ever wonder how healthy you really are? How about our community?

These are good questions - ones that we will be delving into over the course of the next several months. A group of individuals, businesses, and organizations within our community have come together to form a group called, Healthier Fosston, in an effort to enhance the overall physical health of the people who live here.

One of the strategies that the group will be using to affect the community's health is to publish bi-monthly news releases and blogs, that we hope will empower and inspire healthy choices.

To kick things off, the first thing we wanted to do was figure out where we stand right now, in terms of healthy choices. To that end, Healthier Fosston administered a survey that probed several lifestyle issues, including diet, exercise, and body mass index, as well as alcohol and tobacco use.

The good news?

Based on the survey responses, it appears that Fosston is already a fairly healthy community!

Here is a quick snapshot:

·         82% of respondents said they eat at least two, 1/2 cup servings of vegetables each day.

·         75% of respondents said they eat at least three, 1/2 cup servings of fruits each day.

·         61% of respondents reported a body mass index in the normal range.

·         78% of respondents read food nutrition labels.

·         31% of respondents said they do not understand My Plate food recommendations.

·         96% of respondents reported that they have not consumed more than 4 alcoholic drinks in one sitting in the last seven days.

·         11% of respondents said that they used tobacco in some form.

·         67% of respondents reported getting at least 30 minutes of exercise, 5-7 days each week.

·         96% of respondents said that they pay attention to their health and like learning about how they can improve their health.

It is safe to say that those who are not too concerned about their health most likely did not return the survey. Given the fact that this survey was voluntary and had only 27 respondents, it is far from scientific. However, it does tell us a few things. We have a core group of people in our community who are interested in – and fairly committed to – a healthy lifestyle. It also tells us that even in this small sampling of individuals who report that they eat healthy, there are a few areas for improvement – decreasing body mass index, increasing the understanding of My Plate food recommendations, and increasing the percentage of people in the community who exercise regularly.

In the coming weeks, we will attempt to share information and a “healthy” dose of inspiration with you on a broad range of healthy lifestyle topics.

Please share your comments with us, using the comment box below! We would love to hear your thoughts, your story, or your healthy recipe!

HealthyU is being brought to you by SHIP, Polk County Public Health, the City of Fosston, Essentia Health, and several other private partners. Launched in 2008 as part of Minnesota’s bipartisan health reform effort, SHIP works to help Minnesotans live longer, healthier lives while building healthy, vital communities. SHIP encourages healthy eating, active living, and avoiding commercial tobacco by working with schools, communities, workplaces, and healthcare to make healthy choices easier.