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odphp.health.gov Blog

ODPHP plays a crucial role in keeping the nation healthy. Stay up to date on our work by checking out our blog posts, news and announcements, and upcoming events.

Thank You for Celebrating National Physical Fitness and Sports Month with ODPHP!

National Physical Fitness and Sports Month graphic

With the month of May behind us, we are reflecting on another wonderful and successful observance of National Physical Fitness and Sports Month and Older Americans Month. This year, ODPHP and its partners used these observances to highlight the integral role of physical activity in preserving our mental health and maintaining good overall health as we age...

Coming Together to Address Loneliness and Isolation

Health and Well-Being Matter. ODPHP Director RDML Paul Reed, MD.

People need people. We connect with one another as family and friends, through the communities within which we live, in our workplaces, across support networks that stretch beyond our geographic location, and in many other ways that — whether we intend them to or not — help fulfill our fundamental human need to socialize and interact. All these encounters, big and small, add up and reflect an individual’s level of connection with the world — a vital ingredient in developing and maintaining overall health and well-being. This connection is a social imperative that we, both individually and as communities, have come to overlook far too often.

Walk with a Doc: Bringing Communities Together Through Movement and Conversation

This blog post is part of a spotlight series featuring examples of programs and community design changes that get older adults moving. The posts were first published as part of the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans Midcourse Report: Implementation Strategies for Older Adults and highlight ways to apply strategies from the report in different settings.

Assistant Secretary for Health to Join Members of President's Council for Panel on Physical Activity and Mental Health

President's Council on Sports, Fitness & Nutrition logo

On Tuesday, May 28 at 2 pm, the Assistant Secretary for Health for HHS and members of the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness & Nutrition (PCSFN) will meet on a discussion panel at the National Press Club in Washington, DC, to address the challenges and opportunities to improve the mental health and well-being of Americans through physical activity...