DeKalb County health officials have pinpointed the part of the county with the most obese people: Zip code 30345, Channel 2 Action News reports.
The area is mostly south of I-85 between North Druid Hills and Tucker and includes Briarcliff Woods.
A recent phone survey suggested roughly two-thirds of the people who live there are obese. The county plans to use a $2.6 million grant from the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to develop a plan to deal with the issue.
"Historically, public health has been known for doing recipes, health cooking and exercise classes, but this is a cutting edge kind of initiative because we're really trying to change the community," Sandra Elizabeth Ford, Department of Community Health director, told Channel 2.
Ford said she suspects the obesity rate may have to do with the area’s lack of sidewalks.
“We are trying to make communities more walkable, (with) safer routes to school so that folks have the opportunity to make the healthy choice, the easy choice,” she said.
About the Author
