ODPHP Director

Increasing physical activity directly contributes to improved mental health and better overall health and well-being. Physical activity has many well-established mental health benefits that include improved brain health and cognitive function, a reduced risk of anxiety and depression, and improved sleep and overall quality of life.

Diabetes is not just an outcome. Rather, it is a condition that also contributes to, and is impacted by, myriad conditions — physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, social, and economic. The scale of the problem and the pace with which diabetes is becoming more prevalent across the United States means that everyone, in all sectors of society, must take note and act with greater urgency.

Access to easy-to-understand, relatable, and actionable information encourages individuals to be proactive in seeking to improve and maintain their health. While striving to be healthy and understanding what it takes to be healthy are not the same thing, the root of healthy living is an adequate baseline of usable knowledge – what we refer to as health literacy. Improving our mindfulness of this, as health professionals and lay persons, is a good start toward more effective communication and perhaps better health and well-being.