NORTH GEORGIA HEALTH DISTRICT

Healthy people, families, and communities.
  • NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

    NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

Jump roping, invigorating walks, eye-catching exhibits, healthy snacks and stimulating martial arts demonstrations were all part of the fun families enjoyed at the World Breastfeeding Week Celebration events held today at the Murray County Recreation Center in Chatsworth and at the Mack Gaston Community Center in Dalton.

North Georgia WIC, Northwest Georgia Breastfeeding Coalition, Georgia Mountains Health, Bradley Wellness Center, Amerigroup Real Solutions, WellCare of Georgia, Peach State Health Plan, Murray County D.A.R.E., Dalton Police Department, Dalton Fire Department, and SEO's Martial Arts of Dalton partnered in these events to stress to over 400 attendees the importance of a healthy lifestyle.

PinsonKeisha Pinson of Rocky Face breastfeeds son, Marius, while at World Breastfeeding Week event in Dalton with daughter, Kari, and older son, TzarielAnd that road begins with breastfeeding.

While malnutrition plagues numerous developing countries, rates of obesity are at an all-time high in many developed countries, with the highest prevalence in the United States and Mexico. The health and nutritional status of mothers and infants are directly linked, making appropriate infant feeding a critical first step in preventing these and a variety of other medical conditions. 

Research shows that infants who are not exclusively breastfed for their first six months of life are also more likely to develop a wide range of chronic and acute diseases and conditions including ear infections, diarrheal diseases, asthma, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and respiratory illnesses. In addition, mothers who do not breastfeed are at an increased risk of breast and ovarian cancer.


The topic of World Breastfeeding Week 2012 (October 1-7, 2012) is “Understanding the Past—Planning the Future: Celebrating 10 years of WHO/UNICEF’s Global Strategy for Infant and Young Child Feeding.” Building on the concept that the Global Strategy serves as a roadmap for actions to protect, promote and support breastfeeding to achieve maximum health beneFB2World Breastfeeding Week Celebration at Mack Gaston Community Center in Daltonfits, World Breastfeeding Week is being celebrated with the International Lactation Consultant Association (ILCA) theme “The Road to Lifelong Health Begins with Breastfeeding.”

Successful breastfeeding for mothers and babies begins with the support of families, health care providers, government agencies, employers and communities.
 

For more information about World Breastfeeding Week and resources for breastfeeding mothers, visit worldbreastfeedingweek.org or the ILCA website at www.ILCA.org. To learn more about local breastfeeding resources and activities within the North Georgia Health District, contact North Georgia WIC, part of the North Georgia Health District, at (706) 272-2991 or log onto www.northgawic.com.
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This event was one of several North Georgia Health District Georgia SHAPE projects. . .Georgia SHAPE is an exciting initiative to improve Georgia’s future, beginning with our state’s most vital and important asset — our young people. We know all children can benefit from knowledge of their current health-related fitness levels, along with a capacity to develop and implement strategies for personal improvement. For more information on Georgia SHAPE visit: www.GeorgiaSHAPE.org.
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More photos of this event are on our Facebook page at  http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.411806068874163.102677.130708733650566&type=1#!/media/set/?set=a.411806068874163.102677.130708733650566&type=1