Spotlight

Physical activity can be especially important for older adults because it can improve daily quality of life, physical function, and the ability to perform activities of daily living. Despite the many benefits, less than 14 percent of adults age 65 years and older met the recommendations for aerobic and muscle-strengthening activity in 2018. To increase the number of older adults engaging in physical activity across the 5 counties it serves, Active Southern West Virginia (Active SWV) returned to ODPHP’s Move Your Way pilot program.

Diabetes is not just an outcome. Rather, it is a condition that also contributes to, and is impacted by, myriad conditions — physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, social, and economic. The scale of the problem and the pace with which diabetes is becoming more prevalent across the United States means that everyone, in all sectors of society, must take note and act with greater urgency.

Access to easy-to-understand, relatable, and actionable information encourages individuals to be proactive in seeking to improve and maintain their health. While striving to be healthy and understanding what it takes to be healthy are not the same thing, the root of healthy living is an adequate baseline of usable knowledge – what we refer to as health literacy. Improving our mindfulness of this, as health professionals and lay persons, is a good start toward more effective communication and perhaps better health and well-being.

On September 8 and 9, ODPHP and Trust for America’s Health hosted the free virtual 2021 Healthy Aging Symposium to focus national attention on the health and well-being of older adults. If you didn’t attend the symposium and want to see what you missed — or you attended and want to rewatch a session — you can! That’s because all the Healthy Aging Symposium sessions, trainings, and resources are available for free on demand.