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  • By becoming a Certified Healthy recipient, you will receive recognition as a campus that goes “above and beyond” to create a healthy environment.

  • Your faculty and staff will benefit. Healthier employees are proven to be more productive employees, and they have a direct impact on an institution’s success.

  • Certified Healthy Campuses have the opportunity to provide an environment that encourages healthier faculty, staff, students, and visitors.

  • Certified Healthy Campus award recipients are invited to professional development opportunities to grow in their wellness efforts.a special recognition luncheon. Investing in wellness will enhance your campus’s image in the community and add credibility to your institution. 

  • Certified Healthy Campuses are able to utilize their wellness achievements and certification as a recruitment and retention strategy for faculty, staff, and students.

    Certified Healthy Oklahoma Campuses 2021 Map

Universities, colleges, and career technology centers of all sizes are encouraged to apply to become a Certified Healthy Campus. Whether your campus has 100 students and faculty or 25,000, we hope you will apply.

Please note that institutions of higher education may also apply to become a Certified Healthy Business. It would not be unusual for a single entity to be certified as both a healthy business and a healthy campus.

Smokefree/Tobacco-free

  • As a reminder, a Smoke-Free (prohibiting the use of smoking) policy is required for Basic, Smoke-Free indoor and outdoor for Merit, and a tobacco-free policy, submitted with the application, is required for Excellence. Tobacco-Free (prohibiting the use of all tobacco and vapor products) policy must include covering All Products, and your smoke-free policy should prohibit use of any products including commercial tobacco products as well as vapes and e-cigarettes. Your policy may also prohibit smoking marijuana if you wish. 
    • All People: Your smoke-free policy should be applicable to anyone who may be on the property including employees, students, volunteers, guests, residents, and others as needed.
    • All Property: Your smoke-free policy should prohibit use on any of your property, indoor and outdoor, whether owned or leased and should include organization owned or leased vehicles.
    • All Times: Your smoke-free policy should prohibit use 24/7 so there is no exception allowing smoking or other tobacco use at specific times. 
  • All policies must be submitted at the time of application submission. All policies must include the name of their organization, be codified, signed, and/or show proof it is part of the agency handbook. No handwritten, signage, video, or screen shot of a sample policy found online will be accepted for Excellence Certification. For assistance with developing or edit a tobacco policy please visit Breathe Easy or e-mail OnlyAir@health.ok.gov.
  • Note: The OSDH acknowledges the traditional and sacred use of tobacco among American Indian people living in Oklahoma. Whenever the word tobacco is referenced it refers to the use of commercial tobacco.

Applicants select activities and policies that are currently offered by their campus in each of ten criteria categories: (1) Alignment with the Missions of Higher Education; (2) Socioecological-Based Practice; (3) Collaborative Practice; (4) Cultural Competency; (5) Theory and Evidence-Based Practice: Tobacco; (6) Theory and Evidence-Based Practice: Nutrition and Physical Activity; (7) Theory and Evidence-Based Practice: Stress and Mental Health Issues; (8) Theory and Evidence-Based Practice: Alcohol, Drug, and Other Addiction Issues; (9) Theory and Evidence-Based Practice: Prevention and Safety; (10) Continuing Professional Development and Service. There are 82 total criteria, and a total of nine criteria with a possible N/A response, dependent upon campus situation.

Campuses are scored according to type of program, and each criterion selected is worth one point. Certification status is assigned according to the percentage of criteria selected by the applicant in EACH category. As a reminder, a smokefree policy is required for Basic, and a tobacco-free policy submitted with the application is required for Excellence.

  • As a reminder, a Smoke-Free (prohibiting the use of smoking) policy is required for Basic, Smoke-Free indoor and outdoor for Merit, and a tobacco-free policy, submitted with the application, is required for Excellence. Tobacco-Free (prohibiting the use of all tobacco and vapor products) policy must include covering All Products, and your smoke-free policy should prohibit use of any products including commercial tobacco products as well as vapes and e-cigarettes. Your policy may also prohibit smoking marijuana if you wish. 
    • All People: Your smoke-free policy should be applicable to anyone who may be on the property including employees, students, volunteers, guests, residents, and others as needed.
    • All Property: Your smoke-free policy should prohibit use on any of your property, indoor and outdoor, whether owned or leased and should include organization owned or leased vehicles.
    • All Times: Your smoke-free policy should prohibit use 24/7 so there is no exception allowing smoking or other tobacco use at specific times. 
  • All policies must be submitted at the time of application submission. All policies must include the name of their organization, be codified, signed, and/or show proof it is part of the agency handbook. No handwritten, signage, video, or screen shot of a sample policy found online will be accepted for Excellence Certification. For assistance with developing or edit a tobacco policy please visit Breathe Easy or e-mail OnlyAir@health.ok.gov.

Campus Size

  • Public 2-year campus
    • Basic: 20%
    • Merit: 35%
    • Excellence: 50%
  • Private 2-year campus
    • Basic: 20%
    • Merit: 35%
    • Excellence: 50%
  • Career technology center campus
    • Basic: 20%
    • Merit: 35%
    • Excellence: 50%
  • Public 4-year+ campus
    • Basic: 30%
    • Merit: 45%
    • Excellence: 60%
  • Private 4-year+ campus
    • Basic: 30%
    • Merit: 45%
    • Excellence: 60%

The Oklahoma State Department of Health Certified Healthy Oklahoma Team provides assistance and consultation regarding wellness to any Oklahoma business, health department, state or community agency, organization, association, or coalition. We can provide the following services:

  • Sample policies related to physical activity, nutrition, and tobacco

  • Resources on how to begin or enhance a wellness program, including the adoption of policies related to physical activity, nutrition, and tobacco

  • Content expertise and information regarding best practices.

  • Information and technical assistance – trends, data, and best practices

  • Training, materials, and tool kits

  • Data related to physical activity, nutrition, and tobacco

  • Best practices being implemented and/or suggested by the State of Oklahoma 

  • Information or technical assistance regarding the Certified Healthy process

Helpful Documents

What is Certified Healthy Campus?

Certified Healthy Campus was created in 2011 to recognize both public and private
post-secondary campuses and career technology centers that promote health and wellness for their faculty, staff, students, and even visitors. Promotion of health and wellness can be done in a variety of ways including: passing policies that encourage healthy lifestyles and making facilities available for physical activities. Any college, university, or career technology center, whether public or private, may apply for Certified Healthy Campus status. The program is administered by the Oklahoma State Department of Health, Certified Healthy Oklahoma Team.

Why Does Certified Healthy Matter? 

Currently, the major causes of death and disability in Oklahoma are due to chronic conditions such as heart disease, cancer, stroke, and Type 2 diabetes, and a significant proportion of these conditions are preventable. By becoming a Certified Healthy Campus, you are providing a healthy environment for faculty, staff, students, and visitors, thereby supporting better choices and an overall healthier Oklahoma. By meeting most or all of the criteria to become Certified Healthy, campuses provide an established environment to foster behavior modification, in addition to policy adoption and implementation. Campuses provide an environment to offer targeted programs to improve health outcomes among multiple populations. Certified Healthy Campus provides an opportunity to reach not only young adults, but adults seeking continuing education or simply beginning their higher education career later in life. Additionally, Certified Healthy Campus encourages the implementation of policies, programs, and procedures that touch not only students, but faculty, staff, and visitors, as well. By providing a campus environment rooted in evidence-based health and wellness principles, you are contributing to Oklahoma’s future.

The State of Health in Oklahoma 

Oklahoma currently ranks 47 out of 50 on America’s Health Rankings¹. Oklahoma’s biggest challenges are the high premature death rate, high economic hardship index score, and low prevalence of adults meeting the federal physical activity guidelines¹. These challenges can have a lasting impact on current and future generations.

  • Premature deaths in the US overall have increased by 3% since last year from 7,214 to 7,432 years lost before age 75 per 100,000 population1. This is due to increasing deaths due to drugs, increases in suicides, and an uptick in occupational fatalities. In Oklahoma, 9,992 years are lost before age 75 per 100,000 population1. 
  • The leading causes of death in Oklahoma are heart disease,  cancer, and accidents (in that order). In fact, more than 1 in 4 Oklahoma deaths in 2020 were due to heart disease. Cancer accounted for more than 1 in 6 (17%) Oklahoma deaths in 2022 and many cancer deaths (34.2%) are related to cigarette smoking.
  • The sixth leading cause of death in Oklahoma is chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD; 2021 data). Cigarette smoking is the main cause of COPD and secondhand smoke contributes to the disease.
  • Chronic disease is often preventable, but Oklahomans’ health behaviors are contributing to the state’s chronic disease morbidity and mortality. It is especially worth noting that four behaviors (poor diet, physical inactivity, tobacco use, and excessive alcohol) contribute to most chronic diseases. Heart disease and cancer are the number one and two causes of death in OK (CDC; 2022). Chronic lower respiratory diseases are the 5th leading cause of death, and diabetes is the 8th leading cause of death.

Chronic disease is often preventable, but Oklahomans’ health behaviors are contributing to the state’s chronic disease morbidity and mortality. It is especially worth noting that three behaviors (poor diet, physical inactivity, and tobacco use) contribute to four chronic diseases (heart disease and stroke, cancer, diabetes, and lung disease) that cause approximately 60% of all deaths in Oklahoma.2

In 2023, only 3.8% of Oklahoma adults reported consuming two or more fruits and three or more vegetables daily. 14.3% of households in Oklahoma were unable to provide adequate food for one or more household members due to lack of resources. In 2023, 29.5% or less than 1 in 3 Oklahoma adults reported doing no physical activity or exercise other than their regular job in the past 30 days. Overall, Oklahoma has approximately 1 million adults that are obese which is 36.4% of adults in Oklahoma. Unhealthy eating, a sedentary lifestyle, and tobacco use are a recipe for chronic disease. However, we can work together to improve behaviors and the health of Oklahomans. The change starts with YOU!

Campuses that are Certified Healthy see a return on their investment via healthier faculty, staff, students, and even visitors. By contributing to the wellness of those in your establishment, you are helping to create a better, brighter Oklahoma. Campuses that advocate for health are recognized as leaders in the community!

References

  1. United Health Foundation. America’s Health Ranking 2024 Annual Report. Available at: https://www.americashealthrankings.org/learn/reports/2024-annual-report/state-summaries-oklahoma

  2. United Health Foundation. America’s Health Ranking 2023 Annual Report. Available at https://assets.americashealthrankings.org/app/uploads/allstatesummaries-ahr23.pdf 

  3. CDC – National Center for Health Statistics. Leading causes of death in Oklahoma: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/states/oklahoma/ok.htm

  4. Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH): Heart disease. (https://oklahoma.gov/health/health-education/chronic-disease-prevention/heart-disease-and-stroke.html ).

  5. USAFACTS. What are the leading causes of death in Oklahoma? July 19, 2024. https://usafacts.org/answers/what-are-the-leading-causes-of-death-in-the-us/state/oklahoma/

  6. Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. The toll of tobacco in Oklahoma. August 16, 2024. https://www.tobaccofreekids.org/problem/toll-us/oklahoma

  7. American Lung Association. COPD Trends Brief: Mortality. https://www.lung.org/research/trends-in-lung-disease/copd-trends-brief/copd-mortality#:~:text=In%202021%2C%20138%2C825%20people%20died,19%2C%20accidents%2C%20and%20stroke.

  8. CDC – Smoking and tobacco use: Health effects of cigarettes: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/about/cigarettes-and-copd.html

  9. CDC – Preventing Chronic Disease. Trends in Multiple Chronic Conditions Among US Adults, By Life Stage, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 2013-2023. https://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2025/24_0539.htm#:~:text=Among%20midlife%20adults%2C%20trends%20increased,of%20this%20figure%20is%20available.%5D

  10. Mayo Clinic Proceedings. The burden of chronic disease. https://www.mcpiqojournal.org/article/S2542-4548(23)00057-7/fulltext

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