Military to launch Healthy Base Initiative - New York News | NYC Breaking News

Military to launch Healthy Base Initiative

The Department of Defense has selected of 13 sites to participate in a pilot program aimed to increase the health and wellness of military personnel and their families.

It is an effort to put a dent in the $3 billion per year the DOD says it spends in health care costs and lost duty days because of obesity and tobacco use.

It is called the Healthy Base Initiative and is a demonstration project for Operation Live Well.

The programs are part of the president's National Prevention Strategy and runs in conjunction with the first lady's Let's Move! campaign.

Installations in the program are expected to improve the availability of healthy food options in vending machines, commissaries, dining facilities and military stores.

The Healthy Base Initiative will suggest ways people can increase their activity level in their daily routine: actively commuting, walking to lunch, going to the gym, playing intramural sports or taking up an active hobby, such as hiking.

The DOD, in a release, says that a healthy and fit force is essential to national security.

As part of the year-long demonstration project, participating installations will be examined for their ability to "create environments that enable sustainable healthy lifestyles."

The program will also put a specific emphasis on tobacco cessation.

11 of the pilot sites are military installations:  Fort Bragg, N.C.; Fort Sill, Okla.; Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii; Sub Base New London, Conn.; Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho; Yokota Air Base, Japan; Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center/Marine Air Ground Task Force Training Command, Twentynine Palms, Calif.; Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va.; U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod, Mass.; March Air Reserve Base, Calif.; and Camp Dodge, Iowa.

The Defense Logistics Agency at Fort Belvoir, Va.and the Defense Health Headquarters in Falls Church, Va. are also part of the pilot.