Healthy Lifestyles
Work Group

History

Co-Chairs of the Healthy Lifestyles work group are Lisa Baker, Director of the Alexandria Office on Women, and Christina Johnston, Registered Dietitian of the Arlandria Neighborhood Health Clinic, Inc.

The Healthy Lifestyles Work Group initially selected three short- to medium-range strategies, with possible actions, for implementation in Alexandria, including:

1. Provide "point-of-decision" prompts to encourage stair use at worksites or in public places with stairs (could also include improvements with paint, carpeting, motivational signs, artwork and music in stairwells).
    
   • Action: Hung posters that encourage stair use in all public facilities and City-owned buildings with stairs.
      
2. Implement social support interventions to promote physical activity by creating or working within existing networks in a social setting outside the family (e.g., workplace).
    
   • Action: Developed and piloted a workplace “competition” for City employees at the Alexandria Health Department to encourage physical activity through social support.
      
3. Continue Proud To Be Smoke Free Program with Alexandria restaurants, to promote the adoption of smoke-free restaurant policies.   Please note: this initiative is now being implemented by the Environmental Health Work Group; a group that is focusing on respiratory health and built environment strategies.

The Healthy Lifestyles Work Group is developing a long-range plan based on data from Inova Health System’s Healthy Weight Collaborative survey. This survey highlighted According to survey findings:

• 26.4% or approximately 100,000 children in Northern Virginia are either overweight or obese.
   
• Among Alexandria children ages 2-5, 43.5% are overweight or obese. These numbers are significantly higher compared to other children in Alexandria (23.5% of children ages 6-10; 13.1% of children ages 11-14; 13.7% of children ages 15-18).

The work group is also working with Mayor Euille to launch his “Get Healthy for Life, Alexandria” initiative that focuses on encouraging healthy eating and active living.