Friday, September 13, 2024
9/13/2024
Texas is a large, diverse state that is home to more than 29 million people in 254 counties. It contains three of the nation’s largest metro areas (Houston, Dallas-Fort Worth, and San Antonio) but also contains a significant rural population. Texans experience high levels of obesity in adults, with a statewide prevalence of 36.1 percent in 2021. Additionally, an estimated 20.3 percent of Texan children ages 10 to 17 years had obesity, an increase from 15.5 percent in 2018. Non-Hispanic Black Texans and Hispanic Texans also experience a disproportionately high burden of obesity, with obesity rates of 43.8 percent and 42.7 percent respectively. In 2021, approximately 44.5 percent of Texan adults with obesity had hypertension, 42.3 percent had hyperlipidemia, 18.1 percent had diabetes, and 6.0 percent had heart disease. The Obesity Prevention Program (OPP) within the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) currently works with a robust network of state and local partners on nutrition, physical activity, and obesity prevention initiatives to address these outcomes and disparities through the Texas Physical Activity and Nutrition Program (TPAN). State partners include units within DSHS, external agencies, universities, and professional consortiums with the ability to impact state systems and networks of community sites. Local partners include nine local health entities that serve high obesity regions and have strong public health infrastructure and staff capacity to implement interventions. Together, these partners have collaborated to implement successful model projects such as nutrition policy and inventory improvements in the Houston Food Bank, Outdoor Learning Environment Texas (OLE! Texas), and Texas Healthy Building Blocks (THBB), among other localized interventions related to improved food service guidelines (FSGs), active transportation, and breastfeeding in various settings. With this funding opportunity, DSHS will expand TPAN over the next 5 years to increase the number and reach of initiatives to reduce obesity rates and health disparities across the state. This five-year initiative will increase the number of Texans who eat healthy and engage in physical activity on a regular basis by improving policies, practices, and environments in the places they live, learn, work, and play. Specific outcomes include an increased number of 1) places with FSGs, 2) fruit and vegetable voucher and produce prescription programs, 3) places that implement supportive breastfeeding interventions, 4) communities with planning and transportation interventions that support safe and accessible physical activity, and 5) number of early care and education (ECE) systems implementing nutrition, physical activity, breastfeeding, and Farm-to-ECE standards. TPAN will increase access to FSGs in 1) early care and education through THBB, a recognition program for ECEs based on nutrition, physical activity, breastfeeding and farm to ECE best practices, 2) food banks and pantries through nutrition policy, and 3) worksites by providing healthy options in vending machines and cafeterias. TPAN will increase access to fresh fruits and vegetables in 1) priority regions through expansion of Double Up Food Bucks, and 2) priority communities through managed care organization (MCO)-Food Bank partnerships, and 3) ECEs through advancement of Farm to ECE. TPAN will support breastfeeding in 1) worksites by building the Texas Mother-Friendly Worksite program in state agencies, and 2) ECEs through timebound learning collaboratives. TPAN will address physical activity in 1) early care and education through THBB and OLE! Texas initiatives and 2) communities through built environment initiatives such as Texas Move-Ability Institute.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).
