Learn more about nutrition, physical activity and chronic disease in Wisconsin.
Find out how you can make positive choices about food and physical activity where you work, live and play.
Share your story with the Healthy Wisconsin Nutrition & Physical Activity Action Team or ask a question.
Good nutrition and regular physical activity are a good fit for Wisconsin. Our state is known for inviting outdoor landscapes that are tailor-made for sports and recreation, surrounded by some of the richest farmland in the country.
Eating well and being active can help us avoid many chronic diseases as we age, including type 2 diabetes, cancer, stroke, heart disease and obesity. As children grow, they need healthy foods and physical activity at least five days a week to help them maintain a healthy weight.
These healthy habits can also contribute to our emotional well-being. Eating well and being active can increase physical and emotional balance—helping us sleep better, feel better, reduce anxiety and manage stress.
Our Goals
Our goal is to get Wisconsin eating healthier and moving more. That means increasing the number of fruits and vegetables we eat each day, encouraging breastfeeding and making physical activity a regular—even daily—habit for children and adults of all ages.
What’s Being Done
People in our state are taking notice and making positive changes. Fifty-eight of 72 counties now say physical activity is a priority in their County Health Assessment Report. We’re creating breastfeeding-friendly communities. Programs such as Farm to School, the Got Dirt? Garden Initiative and the Healthier Wisconsin Worksite Initiative are getting the word out.
For more information on the Healthy Wisconsin Action Team’s strategies for increasing healthy food consumption and physical activity by 2020, download the Nutrition & Physical Activity report.
ACEs and Nutrition & Physical Activity
Our health isn’t determined by genetics alone. Our choices and experiences—especially the experiences we have in childhood—can have a powerful impact on our long-term health. Abuse, neglect and other Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are linked to poorer health such as obesity and other chronic diseases, and the more ACEs a person has, the higher that risk becomes.
It’s important to remember that ACEs may increase the odds of having health challenges, but they don’t guarantee poor health or risky behavior. Research shows that healthy eating and increasing physical activity are positive coping mechanisms that can help people who have experienced childhood trauma deal with life’s challenges and overcome adversity.