PHA Announces Healthier Campus Initiative

NEW ORLEANS, Nov. 16, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today, the Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA), which works with the private sector and PHA honorary chair First Lady Michelle Obama to make healthier choices easier, announced its Healthier Campus Initiative. The first-of-its-kind effort brokers commitments with colleges and universities to make their campuses healthier by adopting guidelines around food and nutrition, physical activity and programming. At the American Public Health Association (APHA)'s 2014 Annual Meeting & Exposition, PHA announced that 20 nationwide campuses across 18 states have signed on to the effort, impacting more than 500,000 students and 126,000 faculty and staff.

"Colleges and universities are in a unique position to help shape tomorrow's leaders, whether they are teachers, coaches, policymakers, CEOs, moms or dads," said PHA CEO Lawrence A. Soler. "We know that going to college is a time of change for many students—we also know that means it's a time when new habits are formed. By creating healthier food and physical activity environments today, campuses and universities are encouraging healthier habits that will carry over into tomorrow."

The following schools were first to join PHA in a three-year commitment to make their campuses healthier:

• Arizona State University
• Binghamton University
• Central New Mexico Community College
• Clayton State University
• Florida International University
• George Mason University
• George Washington University
• Georgia Institute of Technology
• Hampshire College
• North Carolina State University
• The Ohio State University
• Oklahoma State University
• Southern University and A&M College
• Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi
• University of California, Los Angeles
• University of Miami
• University of New Hampshire
• University of North Dakota
• University of Oregon
• Washington University in St. Louis

Each college or university partner has committed to meet 23 guidelines—developed by PHA in collaboration with some of the nation's leading nutrition, physical activity and campus wellness experts—around nutrition, physical activity, and programming on campus. Because of the unique nature of each campus, universities and colleges choose 23 guidelines from a menu of nearly 40 recommendations, including identifying certain food and beverage options as healthier choices – impacting more than 25 million meals each year; promoting water consumption on campus; offering a bicycle share program for all students; providing certified personal trainers and registered dietitian nutritionists on campus; among others.

To learn more about the PHA's Healthier Campus Initiative, visit www.ahealthieramerica.org/campuses.

The Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA) is devoted to working with the private sector to ensure the health of our nation's youth by solving the childhood obesity crisis. In 2010, PHA was created in conjunction with – but independent from – First Lady Michelle Obama's Let's Move! effort. PHA is a nonpartisan nonprofit organization that is led by some of the nation's most respected health and childhood obesity experts. PHA brings together public, private and nonprofit leaders to broker meaningful commitments and develop strategies to end childhood obesity. Most important, PHA ensures that commitments made are commitments kept by working with unbiased, third parties to monitor and publicly report on the progress our partners are making. For more information about PHA, please visit www.aHealthierAmerica.org and follow PHA on Twitter @PHAnews. 

SOURCE Partnership for a Healthier America