Our Community

Get Lean Tulsa is a community-wide effort. Mayor Dewey and Victoria Bartlett challenge you to encourage your business, neighborhood, church group, friends and family – and most importantly kids – in the Tulsa area to be involved. We will have programs, activities and projects, as well as tips and exercises posted here online. We all have a common goal for our community. To be fit, healthy, productive, competitive, be role models for our kids and our partners, and be the best we can be. This site will use information and participation from experts in the area, including the Tulsa Health Department and Helo Oklahoma, Inc., Tulsa Parks and other partners that share our interests, such as local universities and businesses. This is just the beginning, so keep watching for new developments.

Let’s Take a Look at Why Health Initiatives are Really Important in Oklahoma:

· Oklahoma is the 8^th most obese state in the country, with an overall obesity rate of  28.8 percent.

· Adult obesity rates have doubled since 1980 and two-thirds of Americans, as well as Oklahomans are now either overweight or obese.

· Childhood obesity rates have tripled since 1980 from 6.5 percent to 16.3 percent.

· According to the National Survey of Children's Health, 44.7 percent of Oklahoma kids spend an average of two –three hours watching TV or playing video games on an average school day, compared with 37.7 percent nationally. In addition, 9.5 percent spend four or more hours a day watching TV or playing video games, compared to 7.2 percent nationally.

· In Tulsa County, 46.9 percent of 3rd – 5th grade students had BMI's greater than the 85 percentile making them at risk for being overweight, and 33.7 percent had BMI's greater than the 95th percentile, classifying them as already overweight. (The study was conducted by the OSU Nutritional Science Department and is titled the "It's All About Kids: Preventing Overweight in Elementary School Children in Tulsa, Oklahoma.")

Obesity Facts

· Overweight and obesity are linked to heart disease, hypertension, liver disease, certain cancers, diabetes (and its many disabling effects) and other problems, from asthma to sleep apnea and orthopedic problems.

· Obese kids miss four times as much school as healthy weight kids.

· Obesity-caused depression – plus diminished education and employment opportunities – impact income and security.

· Overweight and obese kids record high absenteeism and lower academic achievement than fit kids.