Grant to help citizens get healthy

A grant secured by the Marysville YMCA will help the city proceed with its Healthy Communities initiative, a partnership between the city and the Snohomish Health District geared toward reducing obesity.

The local YMCA has been selected to join the national YMCA's "Pioneering Healthier Communities," which will provide technical expertise and financing to create a public program aimed at increasing physical activity and promoting life changes to reduce chronic diseases associated with poor nutrition.

The YMCA already is involved in the citywide Healthy Communities initiative, said Wendy Bart, executive director of the Marysville YMCA, and the national YMCA program will complement the county project, which has identified three priorities for creating a healthier living environment.

The citywide priorities are: increasing mobility through walking and biking; providing better access to healthier foods; and providing better access to free and low-cost recreation.

"This YMCA program will help us pick one of the three priorities and work on it," Bart said. "Say we tackle healthier foods. This could help us make changes in the school district, find ways to increase healthier foods at market and provide access to better foods at food banks."

In an attempt to reduce what the surgeon general has called an obesity epidemic in this country, the Snohomish Health District petitioned cities about two years ago to join it to create healthier places to live. Only the city of Marysville responded.

"We sent out letters to all the mayors requesting a letter of interest back and we were surprised by the lack of interest," said Eric Hatzenbuehler, a Snohomish Health District educator who oversees the Marysville program. "But not only was Marysville interested, they were ready to engage the community and make a commitment."

The city, through an advisory panel, began assessing its strengths and weaknesses in terms of providing access to a healthier lifestyle and in March identified its three priorities. It will begin finding ways to implement changes this fall, Hatzenbuehler said.

The YMCA will be an instrumental part in that, Bart said. During the first year of its grant, it gains access to a number of national health officials and other YMCA programs already part of the Pioneering Healthier Communities program.

During the second year, it will receive between $45,000 and $75,000 that can be applied to the city's priorities.

The number of adults in the county who are considered obese nearly doubled from 13 to 24 percent between 1993 and 2004. For youths, in 2004, 9 percent of those in grades eight, 10 and 12 were considered obese, with another 13 percent at risk of becoming obese.

Seeing Marysville's success, Lynnwood has asked to be part of the county program, Hatzenbuehler said. An advisory committee was to have met Tuesday for the first time.

The Health District hopes to add a third city soon and continue expanding until all cities in Snohomish County are working with the initiative.

"Certainly, the Snohomish Health District has noticed that obesity and chronic diseases are becoming a health emergency," Hatzenbuehler said. "We're here to help communities establish a framework for addressing these issues."

To view the full report, go to www.snohd.org/snoHealthStats/index.htm# and click on "How Big Are We: Obesity in Snohomish County" under Reports and Publications.

Christopher Schwarzen: 425-783-0577 or cschwarzen@seattletimes.com