Building healthier communities for all to reduce cancer risk
Researchers continue to uncover how health behaviors– like diet, physical activity, alcohol consumption, and tobacco use– can be risk factors for certain cancers. In fact, one recent study estimates nearly half of all cancer deaths are associated with these potentially modifiable risk factors. The American Cancer Society (ACS) recommends a healthy eating pattern, regular physical [More]
Healthy Active Communities Virtual Conference Sept 14-15
Counter Tools staff will be presenting at the Healthy Active Communities Conference September 14-15. HACC will be a place to learn about policies & systems changes related to health equity & nutrition security with a weight-inclusive lens. Healthy Active Communities sets out to explore and expand conversations around the impacts of policy and systems change [More]
Webinar – Innovative Local Solutions in Public Health
We recently hosted a webinar with CADCA GHEA about local-level policy solutions in Maryland and California. These efforts advanced policies relating to alcohol and healthy food. We often see innovative policy solutions tested first at the local-level. In this webinar, you’ll learn about alcoholic beverage regulations in Montgomery County, the sole “control” jurisdiction in the [More]
Ensuring affordable healthy food – USDA adds 25% increase to SNAP benefits
A new edition of the Thrifty Food Plan adds a significant increase to SNAP benefits for low-income families. This is the first time in decades that the focus was not on maintaining costs but on creating a healthy, practical diet with food choices that are more realistic of a family’s needs and reflect the diverse [More]
Webinar with GHEA on Cancer, Obesity and Place
GHEA partnered with Counter Tools to present “Cancer, Obesity and Place” on Friday, June 25, from 1-2 pm EDT. Research has clearly shown that obesity is a risk factor for a wide variety of negative health outcomes, including several types of cancer. It is no coincidence that we see geographic trends in obesity prevalence. This [More]
Building Healthy Communities Through the Retail Environment
The retail environment provides many of the products that result in unhealthy behaviors such as tobacco use, poor nutrition, and excessive alcohol use. How can we create a retail environment where the healthy choice is the easy choice? Some important strategies involve addressing the availability, promotion and price of tobacco products, foods and beverages and [More]
Success Story: Addressing and Improving the Landscape of Food and Alcohol Products in Wisconsin
We have a new success story about our partner in Wisconsin that serves as a good example of the importance of collecting data about the retail environment, having cross-sector collaboration in efforts, and increasing access to healthy products for the betterment of population health. Counter Tools has partnered with the Wisconsin Department of Health Services [More]
Strategies to Create Healthier Food Retail Environments
Many neighborhoods lack access to traditional supermarkets and other sources of fresh, healthy food, especially at an affordable price. Making healthy choices easier in the retail environment has the potential to make a significant impact on the health of communities. Here are a few recommended strategies to create healthier small food stores. Just how the [More]
Trust for America’s Health releases recommendations to address obesity crisis
Access to healthy food or safe places to be active is inconsistent across communities and research shows that socioeconomic factors including poverty and race/ethnicity contribute to an increased rate of obesity. The State of Obesity 2020 report provides evidence-based policy recommendations for addressing the obesity crisis using a multi-sector, multi-disciplinary approach, and focuses on those [More]
Healthy POS Webinar Series: Securing Healthy Food Access through Targeted Programming
Our recent quarterly webinar in Counter Tools' Healthy POS series focused on healthy food and produce prescriptions. Public health advocates are increasingly focused on interventions that address social drivers of health. With produce prescriptions, healthcare providers address food security in the healthcare setting by connecting their patients with prescriptions for healthy fruits and vegetables. Reinvestment [More]
Counter Tools supports the Pandemic Child Hunger Prevention Act
Counter Tools envisions a nation where healthy living is equitable across communities and every person has access to healthful choices. We recognize the enormous impact of food access and food security on health and well-being. As our nation struggles amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the importance of strengthening our food and nutrition security systems continues to [More]
