Obesity Prevention Project under way

By Scott Nicholson

A campaign to trim the fat kicked off last week, but it’s not a reference to pork-barrel spending in an election year.

The Watauga County Childhood Obesity Prevention Project officially launched Oct. 29 at Watauga Medical Center, with planning already under way for a sustained program to promote healthy behaviors among the young and enhance physical fitness and nutrition.

Danny Staley, director of the Appalachian District Health Department, gave an overview of the problems caused by childhood obesity locally, with $1.2 million in Medicaid spending attributed to conditions related to being overweight or obese. Obese children are also more likely to develop Type 2 diabetes and have a shorter life expectancy. Statewide, 30 percent of children are overweight or obese.

Jennifer Greene, health promotion program supervisor, outlined some of the logistical aspects of the program, starting with a partnership between the health department and Healthy Carolinians. The health department will also work with the school system to educate students about fruits and vegetables, including cooking classes for kids.

The health department received a $475,000 grant from the Physical Activity and Nutrition Branch of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services and must be used by May 31.

“Right now we’re trying to keep each of our projects rolling and each has a team leader,” Greene said. “The other focus is developing our social-marketing campaign, which will launch in early 2009.”

The effort will include several community-based marketing efforts such as “Prepare and Eat More Meals at Home,” “Re-Think Your Drink,” “Move More,” “Breastfeed Your Baby,” “ Tame the Tube,” “Right-Size Your Portions,” and “Enjoy More Fruits and Veggies.”

Greene said the coalition will be providing physical-education teacher training and another program to target families, educating parents as well as their children. Twenty families will be selected for intensive work to help the health of children at risk of obesity. Educators will also get some extra schooling, as efforts focus on wellness for faculty and school staff.

Farm-to-school programs will help children understand the connection between meals and local produce, and high school students will be surveyed about their health behaviors.

Other partners in the effort are the medical center, Blue Ridge Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine, and Watauga Children’s Council. One aspect of the program will be the enhancement of walkability in the town of Boone, including an extension of the Greenway Trail.

N.C. Director of Health and Human Services Leah Devlin said she felt Watauga County was one of the state’s leaders in public health and was excited about the prospects of using the model in other counties.

The project leaders are meeting in December and reviewing the strengths and weakness of the coalition of health, nonprofit and public-service agencies that are working together on the obesity-prevention effort.

For more information on the program, contact Jennifer Greene at (828) 264-6635.