Gearing up for obesity battle

Health Department unveils plans for $475K grants

By Scott Nicholson

Watauga County is stepping on the scales next year, with a local project helping people slim down and stay in shape.

The Childhood Obesity Prevention Project is gearing up for its 2009 push by organizing a number of local health organizations. The project coalition met Wednesday to continue planning its long-range goals and the spending of $475,000 in grant money.

Mary Bea Kolbe with the North Carolina Division of Public Health presented results of a coalition member survey. “You’re a very mixed group,” she said, saying a number of different groups were represented in the coalition of health-care agencies. “The strength is not the money that you get but the partners that you make.”

Kolbe challenged the committee to continue its partnerships even after the grant money was gone. She said while many of the committee members were new, they have served on a variety of other committees together.

Watauga County Health Department educator Jennifer Greene presented a few theoretical Christmas meals and challenged attendees to guess how many miles they’d have to walk to burn off the calories.

“We all underestimate how many calories we’re burning when we exercise and how many calories we get when we’re eating,” Greene said.

The obesity prevention project will be using local billboards and media to promote the “Eat Smart Move More” campaign, including allowing youngsters to propose marketing ideas. The project also works with local pediatricians to select youths at risk of obesity to get more wellness training. Family education is also part of the mission, targeting family habits and eating routines.

The Appalachian Regional Health System is embarking on several employee-wellness programs, including a “Biggest Loser” competition that rewards the employee who loses the most weight. The Children’s Council is assessing nutrition in local daycares and promoting physical activity.

Greene said the N.C. Board of Education had also contributed funds to support student health and activity, with fitness testing for most students through tenth grade.

Other community-based programs in the project include “Prepare and Eat More Meals at Home,” “Re-Think Your Drink,” “Breastfeed Your Baby,” “Tame the Tube,” “Right-Size Your Portions,” and “Enjoy More Fruits and Veggies.”

Earlier studies had indicated the region has high rates of obesity and related health concerns. In the Appalachian Health District, which also includes Ashe, Alleghany and Wilkes counties, 25 percent of adults are obese and 40 percent are overweight. In Watauga County, nearly 26 percent of children ages 5 to 11 are overweight and another 18 percent are at risk of becoming overweight.

Those figures emerged from a 2006 community health survey that measured behavioral factors.

A 2006 assessment for Eat Smart Move More showed county residents are most likely to drink eight or more glasses of cola per year, or the equivalent of 18 pounds’ worth of calories and weight gain. Respondents cited a lack of time as the biggest limiting factor in their sedentary lifestyles.

In North Carolina, 74 percent of children aren’t eating enough recommended vegetable servings and 37 percent aren’t eating enough recommended fruit servings. Additionally, 27 percent aren’t getting the recommended amount of physical activity.

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 the money must be used by May 31.