In this rural community, children, adolescents, and their parents may be best reached through the schools' environment, programs, and communications. Other adults and seniors will be included through programs conducted in worksites, community organizations and businesses. Increased physical activity and healthier eating patterns would eventually be expected to decrease rates of heart disease, stroke and diabetes, along with other serious health problems.

As the community and academic partners develop information systems, environments, skills, and the encouragement needed to help individuals adopt healthy behaviors, the community will grow to value and actively support healthy lifestyles. The Cumberland community will become a healthy environment that helps individuals sustain their personal behavior change. The program will provide a model for rural community health improvement.