Mississippi continues to lead the nation in obesity rate totals, but a new Lincoln County group has formed to encourage local citizens to live healthier lives.

     The Lincoln County Obesity Committee met for the second time earlier this week at Polly’s on Main Street to discuss the obesity problem within Lincoln County.

     District 39 state Sen. Sally Doty is lending her support to the group and spoke at the first meeting on Sept. 24. In an interview Tuesday, she said curbing the obesity rate is important for the state.

     “Until we can get rid of some of our negative images in Mississippi with our being number one in obesity, I don’t think we’ll ever move ahead,” she said. “These are tremendous issues we need to face as Mississippians. If there’s something I can do on a grassroots effort to help, I certainly will.”

     Doty said every pound someone loses helps the fight against obesity.

     “My ultimate goal is for Mississippi to become healthier,” she said. “You don’t have to lose a tremendous amount of weight to make a difference. Often just five or 10 pounds can have a significant impact. I’d like us to move down in the list away from number one. That would have positive impacts for our citizens and our state as a whole.”

     Meeting attendee Celeste Lowery said overall, the group is just in the planning stage.

     “We’re working to decide what to do,” she said. “We’re just getting started. We’re looking at county data to try to assess what to do.

     “My ultimate goal is to help improve the health of children in Lincoln County,” she continued. “I think this is a positive first step.”

     Some people look at problems from afar, but Lowery has personal experience with obesity.

     “I’ve had weight problems all my life, and so have my children,” she said. “I understand it on a personal level. I think it’s my responsibility to try to fix problems in my community.”

     As the group works to get data, Lowery said she is fairly confident on what they’ll find.

     “I think the data will tell us that we have a high obesity rate in the city of Brookhaven,” she said. “My guess it would be higher than the state average, but not too much.”

     One activity the group decided to participate in was National Walk to School Day, which was held Wednesday morning for students at Brookhaven Elementary School. Students walked along Chippewa Street from South Whitworth Avenue to BES before school.

     BES Principal Janee Harrison said the walk served to promote healthy lifestyles.

     “We thought this was a good idea to support healthy schools and students,” she said. “I’d like to thank all the parents, faculty and staff that came out to support it.”

     Harrison said she planned to make National Walk to School Day an annual event at BES.

     Health experts say the key to being healthy is a healthy diet and exercise: two things Lowery said she doesn’t think locals take part in.

     “I think it’s a combination of issues,” she said. “Just the American culture on the whole is junk food and fast food and unhealthy eating habits. Also, our poverty rate contributes to it because cheap foods are usually unhealthy foods. We don’t have as many activity programs for kids compared to bigger areas.”

     But to achieve the ultimate goal, Lowery said obesity rates will take a family effort.

     “I think we’d have to enlist parents’ help to change it,” she said. “With video games and other things, children are more sedentary than they used to be. Parents have to be more involved with the process and understand why it’s important.”