Linn health plans could be model for rest of Iowa

Imagine easily finding calorie counts posted at restaurants and supermarkets; cigarette sales prohibited from stores where customers buy nicotine patches; unhealthy trans fats banned from restaurants and kids no longer eating candy bars instead of school lunches.

Where some might cry foul, or government intrusion, Curtis Dickson, director of Linn County Public Health, sees the road to a healthier state.

The health department plans to apply for federal stimulus money to implement policies that address disease prevention as a model for the rest of Iowa.

Ringgold County, in southwest Iowa, also is partnering in the application with Iowa's Department of Public Health.

None of the ideas is set in stone, noted Dickson, who moved from North Carolina to take over the reins of Linn's health department in February.

At stake is up to $16 million that could be used toward hiring 20-30 staff to kick-start the plans.

Some of the proposals have precedent.

For example, New York and other cities have banned trans fats - linked to heart disease - from restaurant food.

Seattle and Oregon are among areas to pass laws requiring calorie counts posted in restaurants.

Other proposals would be firsts.

Just this year, the Food and Drug Administration gained power to regulate tobacco products, including provisions for local control, Dickson said.

That means Linn County could move to ban cigarette sales at stores that have a pharmacy, such as Walgreen's or Walmart, or ban tobacco ads at cash registers.

Parents might applaud suggestions to remove candy from checkout lines or ban vending machines from schools.

Only 30 to 40 grants will be awarded throughout the country, said Aaron Swanson, of the state health department's Division of Tobacco Use, Prevention and Control.

Applications are due Dec. 1. Iowa should know in February results of the grant, part of a $650 million Communities Putting Prevention to Work initiative that addresses tobacco use, nutrition and physical activity.

Goals are to reduce risk factors for chronic diseases and promote wellness, said Judy Solberg, chief of Iowa's Bureau of Nutrition and Health Promotion.

More than a fourth of Iowa adults are considered obese and one quarter fail to engage in physical leisure activity.

Obesity is a major factor in conditions such as diabetes, heart disease and stroke, with costly health care implications.

Smoking dropped to 14 percent of Iowa adults in 2008. Youth smoking remains a concern.