Gov. Daniels promotes Indiana health

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTHI) - Just six years ago, Indiana had the worst rate for obese adults among the 50 states. Indiana has since improved its rank to 23. But Gov. Mitch Daniels said there's still a lot more work to be done.

Daniels spoke Tuesday at the 2009 INShape Indiana Health Summit. It's the fifth year for the summit, the first to be held at Indiana State University. The theme was "Healthy Lifestyles, Healthy Communities."

"These summits bring together people who lead communities, who lead schools, who lead businesses, who can reach lots of people themselves," said Daniels.

Joyce Anderson-Settle drove from Sullivan County, representing Milburn Healthmart Pharmacy. After attending, she hopes to work with the local hospital to start a biggest loser program to encourage weight loss.

"I'm just sorry there's not enough time to get all the seminars in," said Anderson-Settle.

Speakers emphasized three main points at the summit, cutting down on smoking, increasing the amount of trails through Indiana, and exercise combined with weight loss.

Daniels said the state is going in the right direction, but more because other states are getting fatter and Indiana has stabilized. He wants to see Indiana's rate of obesity decline.

The keynote speaker was Dr. Kenneth Cooper, who for 40 years has been known as the father of exercise.