Walking was the most important activity for Washington women who exercised. Diet and weight control. Nutrition and eating habits affect health at all stages of life. Dietary patterns can exacerbate or reduce the risk of chronic diseases, such as high blood pressure and other cardiovascular illnesses, diabetes, osteoporosis, and certain cancers. The link between nutrition and health is so strong that new recommendations are made frequently in terms of dietary modifications that can reduce the risk of certain diseases or generally contribute to improved health.
Women appear to pay more attention to dietary information in the mass media than do men.
The goal of this program is to increase the per capita consumption of fruits and vegetables to five servings a day by 2000. There are two ways to measure who is overweight. One measure compares a reported weight to an ideal based on height and age. This method uses the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company's tables of ideal weight by gender and age, which reflect 1959 norms. On average, about half of Washington women were trying to lose weight.