Ohio government officials have implemented a new plan to combat one of Ohio's growing problems-obesity.

The Ohio Department of Health's Office of Healthy Ohio unveiled the Ohio Obesity Prevention Plan March 31, which aims to improve the health levels of everyone in the state.

Ohio currently ranks as the 17th most obese state in the nation with 26.9 percent of adults categorized as obese, while 63.3 percent of adults are listed as overweight or obese.

The primary advocate of the new plan is Gov. Ted Strickland. The issue of public health is something he takes very seriously, according to Amanda Wurst, spokesperson for the governor.

"Gov. Strickland really found it necessary to come up with a plan to tackle obesity in the state," Wurst said. "He believes it to be one of the most important issues of today's world, since it is something that can affect someone for the entirety of their life."

Healthy Ohio believes the Obesity Prevention Plan is not only a solid plan, but a realistic one as well, according to Kristopher Weiss, spokesman for the Ohio Department of Health.

"This plan is obviously very important for the public health community," Weiss said. "There are many experts who believe that if the current trends in obesity continue, the generation of children today will live shorter lives than their parents, in terms of life expectancy."

Healthy Ohio is concerned about children continuing habits of eating food not considered to be very healthful, such as sugary snacks and sodas, into adulthood. Poor eating habits add to the problem of obesity and overweight Ohioans, Wurst said.

A primary goal of the Ohio Obesity Prevention Plan is to target younger residents and instill them with healthful eating habits and lifestyle choices at a young age, Weiss said.

"If the older people around the children set an example that eating fruits and vegetables is a normal thing to do and that playing outside for a few hours is normal, then those behaviors are also likely to be carried into adulthood," Weiss said.

The plan, as it stands right now, has recommendations for short-term goals through the end of 2009 and long-term goals through the end of 2014. Also, there are plans to review the Ohio Obesity Prevention Plan every year, so the goals of the plan could be altered to fit the results of what has happened.

The comprehensive plan not only involves the Ohio Department of Health but also many other departments and commissions.

"We are working with several other departments and interested stakeholders to try and make this plan very effective," Weiss said. "This is not simply an Ohio Department of Health initiative. There are at least 18 other departments and commissions that contributed to this."

Weiss said Healthy Ohio does not have a clear idea of when to expect the plan to begin having an effect on the overall health of Ohio residents.

"We really have no way of knowing when this will begin to be effective," Weiss said. "Ideally, it would be sooner rather than later."