The Pima County Health Department is all set to channelize a whopping $16 million of federal funds towards its goal of fighting obesity.

Pima County recently received a sum of $373 million, which was awarded to it as a part of the federal "Putting Prevention to Work" grants.

Funded by 2009's American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the grants are going to be put to use to reduce obesity, boost physical work and increase nutritional intake to help fight chronic diseases.

Officials from the Health Department are expecting the money to be used locally to channelize the policy and provide with better health and wellness education in places like workplaces, schools and neighborhoods.

Elizabeth Temple, Director of the Health Department's grant program, says, "Just telling people to lose weight doesn't work. We want people to get moving and to learn more about the benefits of exercise".

Temple says that Pima County's obesity levels are not as high as the rest of the country, but it hits much harder in minority communities.