About...

Columbus Public Health has a goal of helping Columbus residents to make healthy lifestyle choices that are important for preventing chronic disease, such as heart disease, lung cancer, and diabetes.  These include:

• being physically active
• eating healthy
• keeping a healthy weight
• not smoking  

Columbus Public Health's Office of Health Planning and its programs - Healthy Places and the Cardiovascular Health Program - work with communities, worksites, and schools to support making these healthier choices.

Program Services

• Working with community groups, school and worksites to develop programs for being more active, preventing tobacco use and improving nutrition.
• Providing program ideas, funding ideas, and links to other interested groups and local resources. 
• Helping to make policies and other changes that support healthier choices, like healthy food and vending choices, smoke-free spaces, and being more active at work or school.
• Training educators to provide programs in their own schools and communities.
• Providing a web-based newsletter for educators on health and nutrition topics – “Health and Nutrition Flash.”
• Providing information on local smoking cessation programs, weight management programs, and physical activity resources.

Main Program for Chronic Disease Prevention include:

• Cardiovascular Health Project
• Healthy Children, Healthy Weights
• Healthy Places
• Tobacco Prevention & Cessation

Who Is The Program For?

Community groups and agencies, worksites, schools, and healthcare organizations that serve or employ residents of Columbus and Franklin County. Services are not provided on an individual-level, such as one-on-one education. 

How To Use The Program

Contact the Office of Health Planning about these programs and other health planning efforts for your community, worksite, healthcare organization or school. 

Location

Columbus Public Health
Room N208
240 Parsons Ave., Columbus OH 43215

Program Publications

Healthy Children, Healthy Weights Toolbox
Tools include information sheets, activity plans, resource lists, games, and posters.  Materials are culturally appropriate and easy to understand.  Tools designed for parents are also available in Spanish.

Health and Nutrition Flash
Monthly e-newsletter for school nurses, educators and others working with children.  Provides information on nutrition and other student health topics, health-related resources, parent education, and staff wellness.

Healthy Heart Resources
Find Franklin County resources to improve your heart health, including being active, eating healthy, keeping a healthy weight, quitting smoking and more.  

Franklin County Smoking Cessation Resources
Available classes and other local resources for tobacco cessation on the central Ohio area.

Improving Access to Healthy Food: A Community Planning Tool 
A self-help resource for anyone wanting to work with others to find ways to bring healthy foods into their community.  The tool helps communities gather information about the food that’s available in the area, develop strategies to bring more healthy foods to the community and measure the success of those efforts.

Resources and Links

Cancer Prevention

American Cancer Society   www.cancer.org/
Centers for Disease Control  www.cdc.gov/
Cancer Resource Center  www.cancer.org

Diabetes

American Diabetes Association  www.diabetes.org
Central Ohio Diabetes Association  www.diabetesohio.org
National Institutes of Diabetes & Digestive Kidney Disease  www.niddk.nih.gov/
National Diabetes Education Program  http://ndep.nih.govHearthealth

Heart Health

American Heart Association http://www.americanheart.org/
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/

Health Information Resources

Health Finder.gov
Health Observances Calendar National

Nutrition

American Dietetic Association www.eatright.org
US Dietary Guidelines www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines
National Dairy Council Nutrition Explorations www.familyfoodzone.com
Nutrition sites of the federal government www.nutrition.gov
Team Nutrition http://www.fns.usda.gov/tn/
5 A Day Program www.5aday.gov
Food and Nutrition Information Center www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/

Physical Activity

CDC Division of Nutrition and Physical Activity     www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa
Shape Up America www.shapeup.org
Kids Walk to School    www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/kidswalk.htm
National Association for Health & Fitness  www.physicalfitness.org

Smoking Cessation

American Lung Association http://www.lungusa.org/
CDC's TIPS (Tobacco Information & Prevention Source) www.cdc.gov/tobacco
Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids www.tobaccofreekids.org
Quit Net www.quitnet.org
Try To Stop http://trytostop.org
American Cancer Society www.cancer.org/docroot/SPC/SPC_0.asp

School Health

School Health Index Assessment & Planning Tool
Model School Wellness Policies
Ohio Action For Healthy Kids 

Weight Management

WIN (Weight Information Network) www.niddk.nih.gov/

Contact Us

(614) 645-6189

Health@columbus.gov