HHS Secretary Urges Families to Walk Together on Mother's Day
Walk on National Mall Emphasizes Health Benefits Of Exercise For Older
Americans
HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today called on families to include a walk
or other activity as part of their Mother's Day celebrations to promote
better health and prevent osteoporosis.
"This Sunday, after brunch, go for a walk with your mother, grandmother and
the rest of your family," Secretary Thompson said. "And then together
pledge to walk and stay active throughout the year. Families literally can
walk down the path to better health."
To highlight the health benefits of physical activity, especially for older
Americans, Secretary Thompson today will lead senior citizens on a half-hour
walk around the National Mall in Washington. Assistant Secretary for Aging
Josefina G. Carbonell and representatives of national aging organizations
will also participate in the walk, which is part of HHS' May activities for
Older Americans Month, National Osteoporosis Prevention Month and National
Physical Fitness and Sports Month.
Researchers have found that people of all ages can benefit from being active
and that staying physically active can help prevent certain diseases and
disabilities as people age. Nationally, lack of physical activity
contributes to an estimated 300,000 preventable deaths each year from
diseases such as heart disease, stroke and diabetes.
Osteoporosis is a disease characterized by loss of bone density and quality,
leading to increased risk of fracture. About half of all women and one in
eight men will suffer a fracture due to osteoporosis during their lifetime.
Walking, jogging and other weight-bearing exercise helps keep bones strong
and also improves balance and muscle strength, which are important in
avoiding falls and fractures.
"It is never too late to start exercising and eating properly," Assistant
Secretary Carbonell said. "We all need to incorporate regular exercise and
physical activity into our daily schedules so that we can live long, healthy
and productive lives."
As part of today's event, HHS also distributed a free guide on exercise for
older Americans developed by the National Institute on Aging at HHS'
National Institutes of Health. The guide includes tips for older Americans
on appropriate activities that can help prevent disease and disability and
improve their health. Copies of the guide are available in English and
Spanish and can be obtained at http://www.nia.nih.gov/exercisebook/ or by
calling 1-800-222-2225.
Today's walk is part of HHS' ongoing efforts to highlight disease prevention
as the primary way that Americans of all ages can improve their health and
personal well-being while reducing health care costs. Secretary Thompson
has made disease prevention and health promotion a top priority, and the
President's budget for fiscal year 2003 proposes a $20 million new pilot
program "Healthy Communities," to help deliver community-wide prevention
support. In addition, under the President's budget, HHS would spend more
than $16 billion for all disease prevention activities.
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