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City launches 'Obesity Awareness Campaign'

Posted at 7:46 PM, Jan 16, 2020
and last updated 2020-01-16 20:55:39-05

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — A new Obesity Awareness Campaign is launching next month.

It's a collaboration between City Manager Peter Zanoni and the Corpus Christi City-County Health Department, all to make Corpus Christi healthier.

Out of 50 states, Texas is the state with the tenth-most obese people.

But the Health Department of Corpus Christi is trying to change that through the Obesity Awareness Campaign.

Starting in February, they'll be going to different homes around the city asking people to participate in a survey.

“(Saying) hey, truly this is your BMI level, and this is what you can do about it,” said Dr. Dante Gonzalez, assistant director of public health.

He said surveyors will visit random houses across the city and will ask people basic health questions such as residents' height, weight, and other habits.

“We intend to educate the community and let them know ‘Hey, this is your number not based on national data or national averages -- this is you as a community’,” said Gonzalez.

He said too often people are confused about what's considered healthy.

“They basically compared themselves to something that they see in their house on a daily basis,” said Gonzalez. “Saying 'I've always been big-boned, so this is normal for me, this is normal for my family,' (but) there's no such thing as big-boned.”

Their goal is to make Corpus Christi a healthier community, but for it to be successful they need people to be responsive and provide the information.

Gonzalez said depending on the information they get back from the community they'll begin with Phase 2, implementing programs and ways for people to begin living a healthier life.

The $200,000 funding to launch the Obesity Awareness Campaign was approved back in October, the beginning of the city’s fiscal year.