The Certified Healthy Restaurant program started in 2009 as an extension of the Certified Healthy Business program. The Certified Healthy Restaurant program recognizes single venues, local and national chain restaurants, and worksite venues that offer healthy options and tobacco free environments for their patrons and employees.

Becoming a Certified Healthy Restaurant means you are providing a healthy environment for your patrons and staff, as well as setting a standard of health for your community. By meeting most or all of the criteria to become Certified Healthy, Restaurants provide an established environment to foster healthy behaviors in the community and in the establishment. More people eat at restaurants now than in previous years. In 2012, 34% of meals were obtained outside of the home¹. Ensuring healthy menu options and a healthy environment will contribute to a healthier community and state.

Oklahoma currently ranks 47 out of 50 on America’s Health Rankings². This is a decline from last year when Oklahoma was ranked 43². Out of all 50 states, this was the biggest decline in rankings from last year¹. The decline can be attributed primarily to an 11% increase in the obesity rate, and a 14% increase in the physical inactivity rate². Our poor health outcomes are hurting our families, finances, and future.

• 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 population². 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 population². 
• The leading cause of death in Oklahoma is heart disease, followed by cancer³. In fact, more than 1 in 4 Oklahoma deaths in 2017 were due to heart disease³. Cancer accounted for more than 1 in 5 Oklahoma deaths in 2017³, and many cancer deaths are related to cigarette smoking^4.
• The third leading cause of death in Oklahoma is chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). In 2017, there were 3,035 deaths due to COPD in Oklahoma, accounting for 7.7% of deaths³.  Cigarette smoking is the main cause of COPD and secondhand smoke contributes to the disease, as well.⁵  
• In 2017, Oklahoma had the 8th highest diabetes prevalence in the nation at 12.7%⁶. Type II diabetes accounts for 90% to 95% of all diabetes cases and obese and overweight adults are at increased risk for Type II diabetes⁷. In 2017, approximately 85% of Oklahomans with diabetes were also overweight or obese.⁸

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.³

In 2017, just 54% of Oklahomans ate fruit one or more times per day⁸.  In addition, 17% of adults ate vegetables less than once per day⁸. In the same year, almost 71% of Oklahomans were either overweight or obese⁸. In 2017, more than 1 in 4 adults reported that they did not participate in leisure time physical activity during the past month⁸. In 2017, 1 in 5 adults were current smokers⁸. 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!

Restaurant employees and customers alike have the opportunity to begin their journey toward a healthier lifestyle-including moving more, eating better, and being tobacco-free through the Certified Healthy Program. Offering healthy menu items, providing physical activity breaks to employees, and showing no tolerance for any tobacco use on restaurant property are some of the options restaurants can try to help people develop a lifelong culture of health.

1. United States Department of Agriculture. America’s Eating Habits: Food Away from Home. September 2018. Available at https://www.ers.usda.gov/webdocs/publications/90228/eib-196.pdf
2. United Health Foundation. America’s Health Ranking 2018 Annual Report. Available at https://www.americashealthrankings.org/learn/reports/2018-annual-report
3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: National Center for Health Statistics. Underlying Cause of Death 1999-2017 on CDC WONDER Online Database, released December 2018. Data are from the Multiple Cause of Death Files, 1999-2017, as compiled from data provided by the 57 vital statistics jurisdictions through the Vital Statistics Cooperative Program. Available at http://wonder.cdc.gov/ucd-icd10.html
4. Lortet-Tieulent J, Goding Sauer A, Siegel RL, Miller KD, Islami F, Fedewa SA, Jacobs EJ, Jemal A. State-Level Cancer Mortality Attributable to Cigarette Smoking in the United States. JAMA Intern Med. 2016;176(12):1792-1798. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2016.6530
5. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Smoking and COPD. Available at https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/campaign/tips/diseases/copd.html
6. Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The State of Obesity. Available at https://www.stateofobesity.org/diabetes/
7. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. National Diabetes Statistics Report, 2017. Available at https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/pdfs/data/statistics/national-diabetes-statistics-report.pdf
8. Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH), Center for Health Statistics, Health Care Information, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System 2017, on Oklahoma Statistics on Health Available for Everyone (OK2SHARE). Available at https://www.health.state.ok.us/