The overarching goal of the 2018 GMPHP Plan “to help Mercer County residents achieve a healthy weight and lifestyle throughout their lives”, is viewed as an underlying issue related to each of the state’s 4 overarching goals. The importance of maintaining a healthy weight is a significant factor in many preventable diseases and disabilities. Eating a healthy diet and getting regular exercise is important to promote quality of life and healthy development, and are behaviors that are important across all stages of life. Creating environments that promote healthy lifestyles and ensure safe spaces for physical and social activities is similarly important for maintaining healthy lifestyles. Lastly ensuring all people have access to good nutritional food to maintain appropriate weight helps to reduce many of the health disparities that exist in our communities.