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DEVAL L. PATRICK

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TIMOTHY P. MURRAY

LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR

JUDYANN BIGBY, M.D.

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JOHN AUERBACH

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June 02, 2009 - For immediate release:

Patrick Administration Launches Mass In Motion Web Site in Spanish

Department of Public Health website extends resources for healthier eating and physical activity to the Latino community

BOSTON — The Patrick Administration’s Department of Public Health (DPH) today unveiled a Spanish language version of the Mass in Motion website (www.mass.gov/massinmotion/spanish) as a resource for health care providers, businesses and members of the Spanish-speaking community.

The new Mass in Motion En Español website promotes healthy eating and physical activity at home, work, and in the community. The objective of the website is to provide simple, practical, cost-effective ways for Massachusetts’ residents to:

  • Increase physical activity

  • Ask experts about improving their eating and physical activity routine

  • Get involved in helping to build healthy communities

  • Improve eating habits

  • Increase physical activity

  • Get involved in helping to build healthy communities

Although Massachusetts compares favorably to most other states, overweight and obesity are still major public health problems in the Commonwealth. Consider these facts:

  • More than half of the adults and almost one-third of high school and middle school students in Massachusetts are overweight or obese.

  • In Massachusetts, between 2003 and 2007, black adults were 60% more likely to be obese than white adults, and Hispanic adults were 50% more likely to be obese.

  • In the past 10 years, the percentage of adults in Massachusetts with diabetes has almost doubled (3.8% in 1998 vs. 7.4% in 2007).

  • According to a 2006 CDC report, $1.8 billion of medical expenses in Massachusetts are associated with adult obesity.

  • Unless the numbers decrease, overweight and obesity will soon pass smoking as the leading cause of preventable death in the Commonwealth and in the nation.

For more information, visit the Mass in Motion homepage at www.mass.gov/massinmotion/spanish.

Read this Press Release in Spanish

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