Encouraging Hundreds of Ottumwans to improve their Health

College of Public Health helps Ottumwa residents get active

A group of women spins, skips, weaves their legs, and waves their arms through the conference room at the Ottumwa Regional Health Center, working up a mild sweat to hip-hop and R&B tunes.

Overturf’s class, Dance Fitness, is one of dozens of programs offered by Active Ottumwa, a partnership between the city of Ottumwa and the Prevention Research Center in the University of Iowa College of Public Health designed to get more Ottumwans moving. Working with numerous local organizations, Active Ottumwa promotes healthy lifestyles by creating and encouraging more research-tested physical activity opportunities for adults. Edith Parker, dean of the College of Public Health and director of the Prevention Research Center, says the program offers an array of activities every week to improve peoples’ health.

Public Health Summit 2019 conference will emphasis on the emerging health issues and uncharted fields of diseases and invigorate developments related to every aspect of public health, Nutrition and Physicians research which provides new opportunities for specialists of all over the world to meet, exchange, organize and explore new technologies and research ideas.

Ottumwa also was chosen because local leaders know this lack of fitness is a serious community health problem and have made solving it a priority.