Live Well Sioux Falls Receives Grants to Help People Eat Well, Move Well

Aug 06, 2014

The City of Sioux Falls Health Department recently received a $25,000 grant from the Wellmark Foundation and a $5,000 grant from the South Dakota Department of Health to study nutrition and walkability in the community.

Live Well Sioux Falls will use the 12-month grant from the Wellmark Foundation to explore the issue of access to affordable, healthy foods in the community. Working with South Dakota State University Extension and the newly formed Sioux Falls Food Council, Live Well Sioux Falls plans to identify needs in the area of food access and to create an inventory of available resources in the community to address those needs.

“Research consistently demonstrates that as little as 10 percent of an individual’s health is influenced by direct health care delivery, while up to 70 percent is influenced by environmental factors,” said Mary Michaels, Healthy Community Specialist with Live Well Sioux Falls, an initiative led by the City’s Health Department. “Limited access to nutritious foods and relatively easier access to less nutritious foods may be linked to poor diets and obesity, particularly in youth.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), the percentage of people consuming a healthy number of servings of fruits and vegetables is declining. South Dakota and Sioux Falls have ranked near the bottom in the list of communities where people consume the recommended five or more servings of fruits and vegetables per day.

Live Well Sioux Falls and its partners hope their efforts can create positive change.

Tara Pratt from South Dakota State University Extension agrees.

“Consumer choices about food spending and diet are likely to be influenced by the accessibility and affordability of food,” she said. “Travel time to shopping, availability of healthy foods, and food prices all make a difference. We know that for people to make healthier choices, our community needs to provide an environment where healthy choices are easier to access. Being able to walk, ride a bike, or use transit to get to places like a grocery store can help individuals and families eat well and live well.”

The Wellmark Foundation offered the 2014 Healthy Communities Grant Program to help communities establish new initiatives or expand existing programs to promote health.

“The Wellmark Foundation is proud to support Live Well Sioux Falls and this project,” said Stephanie Perry, interim director for the Wellmark Foundation. “We are impressed by this effort, as well as other Live Well initiatives that focus on community partnerships to encourage Sioux Falls residents to lead a healthy lifestyle.”

Live Well Sioux Falls will use the Community Walk Audit grant from the South Dakota Department of Health to explore “walkability” in the downtown area.

“As obesity rates across the country continue to rise, communities are recognizing the importance of urban design to facilitate more active lifestyles,” said Michaels. “Providing opportunities for citizens to walk is one significant way to promote physical activity. Looking at the ‘walkability’ of our downtown area will help Live Well Sioux Falls consider strategies to improve local pedestrian and bicycling networks.”

Live Well Sioux Falls will conduct a downtown walk audit in the coming weeks, as well as a second walk audit during the winter months, to look at issues related to year-round access for pedestrians, bicyclists, and transit riders.

Volunteers will be needed to assist with these walk audits. Individuals who are interested in participating can email livewell@siouxfalls.org or call the Sioux Falls Health Department at (605) 367-8760.