Mayor’s Healthy Hometown Movement

What does a city do when most of its residents are overweight and few eat the recommended number of fruits and vegetables daily?

In Louisville, the Mayor’s Healthy Hometown Movement hopes to create a new culture where physical activity and optimal nutrition are the norm, not the exception.

The program is designed to raise awareness of activities already available, such as aquatics, biking, and walking. The effort doesn’t stop there, though. It also serves as a catalyst for new efforts targeting the workplace and neighborhood groups.

The Take Charge Challenge focuses on worksite wellness with a 10-week program where employees set fitness goals and keep a log of their progress. And a mini-grant program encourages neighborhood groups to design their own physical activity programs. Among the projects funded are Let’s Sweat, CDC, a competitive dance and walking club for girls 5-18, and Biking for Louisville, which not only organizes long bike rides for kids ages 10-14 but also teaches them how to repair bikes and ride safely.

Mayor Jerry Abramson says the primary goal for the first phase of the program is to have everyone committed to engaging in at least 30 minutes of physical activity five days a week. Subsequent phases will focus on the issues of nutrition and disease prevention.

The program is led by the Louisville Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness. It unites partners from business, schools, government, academia, neighborhood groups, and nonprofit organizations to coordinate activities.

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