REGIONAL STRATEGIES
In the end, the data are clear: Americans living in the Southern United States live shorter, sicker lives. The region needs a comprehensive strategy to improve health.
At Texas A&M, we’ve banded together with 13 universities in the Southeastern Conference to discuss ideas that can reach communities outside the universities.
One of our initial ideas is to leverage the mass gatherings around football games to promote positive health activities. The largely rural makeup of these states along with attendance at football games exceeding 78,000 people per game provides a unique Southern strategy to change health in these states.
However, no single intervention will change several decades of poor health.
This article was originally published on The Conversation (http:// theconversation.com), an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.