Galveston County Health District launches HEAL website Learn how living a healthy, active life is fun for the entire family

GALVESTON COUNTY, Texas – Make living a healthy and active life fun for the entire family, with the help of Healthy Eating, Active Living (HEAL), Galveston County Health District’s (GCHD) new initiative.

HEAL is one of the biggest initiatives the health district has been part of and is aimed at making Galveston County the healthiest in Texas, with the help of a HEAL section on the health district’s website.

“HEAL came about as we began developing our 2017-2022 Strategic Health Plan,” said GCHD CEO Kathy Barroso. “Obesity is a serious health problem in the United States and HEAL is a way we can combat that on a local level.”

A 2017 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report shows that nearly 40 percent of American adults and almost 20 percent of adolescents are obese – the highest rates ever recorded in the United States. One in five adolescents (12-19), one in five children (6-11) and one in 10 preschoolers (2-5) are considered obese.

The health district surveyed its clients, stakeholders and the community to learn more about their dietary and exercise habits.

“We wanted to know how they rated their eating habits, how often they exercised and what keeps them from living a healthier life,” Barroso said. “We learned that lack of time and motivation are the primary reasons for not eating healthy and exercising.”

Responders indicated a strong interest in learning more about quick and easy recipes, healthy cooking information and shopping on a budget, plus exercises they could do at home and community walking trails or centers that offer free exercise options.

In response, the health district created a HEAL section of its website, available at www.gchd.org/HEAL.

“The HEAL section follows up on a lot of the feedback we received from the survey. It includes monthly exercise videos you can do at home, cooking videos for adults and children, healthy recipes and tips for shopping on a budget,” said Ashley Tompkins, GCHD director of communications. “We’re also linking to walking trails in the community, as well as community parks that have free workout equipment.”​


HEAL also includes videos on how to read a nutrition label and how to pick the best ingredients while shopping, regardless of your budget. Food storage tips, nutritional infographics and examples of different eating styles are also
featured. There’s even a page dedicated solely to diabetes, from reading a nutrition label to recipes and what kind of ingredients to enjoy and avoid.

Be sure to follow the health district on social media at Facebook.com/GCHDinfo and Twitter.com/GCHDinfo for HEAL recipes, videos and more.