Health Promotion

The Statewide Health Promotion Program supports community-based programs that improve the health of North Carolinians by reducing the prevalence of chronic diseases. Funds are distributed to health promotion programs in local health departments throughout the state to work with community partners in creating policy changes and environmental supports addressing at least one of the three major chronic disease risk factors ñ physical inactivity, poor diet and tobacco use.

The North Carolina General Assembly created the N.C. Statewide Health Promotion Program in 1987. Recognized as the first in the nation, the program sustains ongoing, comprehensive health promotion efforts.

Poor diet, physical inactivity and tobacco use are behaviors contributing to the leading preventable causes of death in North Carolina and are known risk factors for chronic diseases such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes and obesity. Efforts to address health behavior change in individuals or populations must include environmental changes to address these behaviors.

Health Promotion Programs

Eat Smart Move More Weigh Less is a weight management program that uses strategies proven to work. Each lesson informs, empowers and motivates participants to live mindfully as they make choices about eating and physical activity.

Click to learn more about the ESMM-NC Program.


Freedom from Smoking - Cessation programs for adults.

Families Eating Smart Moving More - giving families the skills to be able to eat more meals at home, eat healthy when eating out, move more in their everyday routine and watch less television.

Programs available to help worksites implement healthy meeting guidelines for serving healthier foods at meetings and events.

Policy development to help establish an organizationís support for physical activity and healthy eating. This is one of the simple organizational policy changes that can be made to help us all eat smart and move more.

Resources to help the faith communities eat smart and move more as well as implement wellness programs.

For more information on these programs or other Health Promotion Programs please contact your local health department.

Albemarle LifeQuest

The LifeQuest Worksite Wellness program, an integrated program of confidential screenings and monitoring, promotes health at work and beyond.

LifeQuest provides health screenings to communities, businesses, and industries. A variety of educational interventions are presented to employees to encourage positive behavior change.