The Delaware Division of Public Health’s (DPH) Physical Activity, Nutrition and Obesity Prevention Program (PANO) is hosting its inaugural Advancing Healthy Lifestyles Conference on Thursday, May 18, 2023. Focusing on the theme of ‘Improving Health Through Equity,’ this first-of-its-kind, in-person event offered participants opportunities to learn from national, regional and local leaders in achieving health equity. Participants also exchanged ideas and shared best practices to help end disparities throughout the state and empower healthier living for all Delawareans.

With an ultimate vision of removing barriers to health equity that exist in Delaware, the conference brought together public health policymakers, nonprofit advocates of health and wellness, educators, health care providers and researchers. The event was developed to build on Governor John Carney’s policy objectives for launching a statewide effort to reduce the impact of obesity and chronic disease, and to evaluate and implement the recommendations of the Delaware Cancer Consortium. The event was held at Delaware State University’s Martin Luther King Jr. Conference Center.

“It didn’t take long into the pandemic to see the way COVID-19 worked to further widen the chasm of health disparities,” said Department of Health and Social Services Secretary Molly Magarik. “Our goal is to ensure all Delawareans have access to the tools they need to lead longer, healthier lives. Through this conference, we are leveraging the lessons from the pandemic to infuse new energy into our work and drove even greater success in achieving health equity.”

The conference’s key objectives, which parallel those of the Advancing Healthy Lifestyles initiative, are to:

• Reduce obesity and other chronic conditions
• Achieve health equity by focusing on coordinated school health and wellness, community capacity building, and workplace wellness
• Foster connections between youth-serving organizations and schools to support the health and well-being of youth across the state
• Support the efforts of community-based organizations implementing policy, systems and environmental changes
• Help advance workplace wellness

Conference Highlights

Throughout the day, participants were inspired by remarks from local dignitaries and healthy lifestyle advocates, including Lt. Governor Bethany Hall-Long; DHSS Secretary Molly Magarik; and keynote presenter, U.S. Olympian Dominque Dawes.

The conference panel discussion covered Improving Health Through Equity: A Regional Perspective, led by the following individuals:

• Aniekan Ebitu, MPH, National Senior Director of Public Health Programs, National Hypertension Control Initiative, American Heart Association
• Keisha Morris, Director of Talent Management and Workforce Development
  Bayhealth
• Dalton Paxman, PhD, Regional Health Administrator, Office of Regional Health Operations, Region 3, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
• Moderator: Scott Siegel, PhD, MHCDS, Director of Cancer Control & Population Sciences, Helen F. Graham Cancer Center & Research Institute, ChristianaCare

There was also a robust agenda of opportunities for sharing, learning, and networking:

• Concurrent breakout sessions — Addressing Systemic Bias in Health Care; Improving Health Through Community Collaborations; and The Trauma of Racism and Health Disparities
• Interactive peer-to-peer roundtable discussions
• Information resource room
• Networking reception

Additional Information

Learn more about the Division of Public Health’s Advancing Healthy Lifestyles initiative at https://www.healthydelaware.org/Community-Partners/Advancing-Healthy-Lifestyles. 

Data

According to DPH’s 2021 Behavioral Risk Factor Survey (BRFS), obesity among Delaware adults has more than doubled from 13% in 1992 to 33.9%. The prevalence of reported obesity was higher among Black and Hispanic adults and individuals with a disability than among white adults and individuals without a disability.

The prevalence of Delaware adults diagnosed with diabetes has also doubled, from 4.9% in 1991 to 12% in 2021, according to the 2021 BRFS. Of Delawareans surveyed, 18.2% of adults ages 55 to 64 and 23.4% of adults age 65 and older reported having diabetes.

In addition, 15% of black adults reported having diabetes compared with 11.4% of white adults. Among Delaware adults diagnosed with diabetes, 44.5% reported having a disability.

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