The plan, presented at Washington Place to representatives from agencies across the state, provided an opportunity for individuals and agencies to join the newly formed Physical Activity and Nutrition Coalition.

Lt. Gov. James "Duke" Aiona Jr. stressed the importance of ensuring everyone has easy access to healthy food and a safe place to exercise.

"To achieve goals for healthy living we need to re-think how our individual behavior is influenced by the structure of our communities, workplaces and schools," Aiona said, according to a news release.

"We have to change the options available around us so that these support healthy behaviors."

State Health Director Chiyome Fukino, M.D., said: "Eating one more fruit and one more vegetable a day and engaging in 30 minutes of moderately intense physical activity a day can help lower rates of obesity, heart disease, stroke and some cancers."

In 2005, about one in five people in Hawai'i were considered obese and heart disease continues to be Hawai'i's leading cause of death." Also, in 2005, more than 2,200 people in Hawai'i died of heart disease.

The Hawai'i Physical Activity and Nutrition Plan is the outcome of six meetings, held between October 2005 and April 2006, during which a multi-disciplinary group of private and public stakeholders submitted a broad range of strategies to improve physical activity and nutrition among Hawai'i residents.

Some of the plan strategies are: