The top health issue that the organization works to prevent is the high prevalence of chronic diseases like obesity, heart conditions, and Type II diabetes. According to the United Health Foundation, Texas has a 34%, 12.2%, and 8.3% rate for obesity, diabetes, and heart conditions compared to the national average of 31.9%, 10.8, and 8.4% (2021). Along with this, the prevalence of diabetes specifically in Bell County is 29%, with 28% of its residents being inactive (Texas A&M, N.D). Similar to this, Coryell County’s prevalence of obesity is 29% according to the Texas Department of Health (N.D). Not only that but, childhood obesity in the state of Texas is increasing every year with at least 600,000 children ranging from ten to seventeen suffering from obesity (Dell children’s hospital, N.D).
The Center for Disease Control (CDC) defines childhood obesity as having a body mass index that exceeds the 95th percentile in a specific age category. In the United States, at least 1 in 5 children suffer from childhood obesity (CDC, 2020) and at least 340 million children worldwide are obese (WHO, 2020). Childhood obesity is also a strong indicator of adulthood obesity. A 2017 study helped to demonstrate that severely obese children have a 1 in 5 chance of not being obese in adulthood (Ward et al., 2017, pg. 2150). Various preventable chronic long-term illnesses can result or worsen due to obesity, and children who are obese are more likely to suffer from other health complications such as: breathing issues, joint pain/ musculoskeletal discomfort, and high cholesterol. Children from various ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds also suffer disproportionately from this illness. In contrast to their Caucasian counterparts, Hispanic and African non-Hispanic children were 25.8% and 22%, respectively, more likely to be obese (CDC, 2019). Finally, children from lower socioeconomic backgrounds are at a higher risk of suffering from obesity in comparison to their wealthier counterparts. This is due to the lack of recreational
Even with this high rate of obesity, both counties suffer from high rates of childhood food insecurity, coupled with low economic status. In Bell County roughly 18% of children face food insecurity and 19% in Coryell County respectively (Feeding American, 2018). This high rate of food insecurity caused by low economic status coupled with the high prevalence chronic illness creates a cycle of poor health for the residents living in these two counties. In fact, studies have found a relationship between obesity and food insecurity caused by overconsumption of low-cost fatty foods, low fruit and vegetable consumption, and overcompensation of food (Pan et al., 2012).
In addition to the high rate of chronic illness and food insecurity, there is a need for educational interventions to improve children and their parent’s knowledge about nutrition and healthy lifestyle choices. In an interview with Shannon Burley, she states that “children’s food choices are strongly dependent on what foods are available and offered at home. Their health behaviors are influenced by their parent’s behavior.” Due to this, it is incredibly important to involve not only the children, but the parents as well in engaging in healthy lifestyles. HealthStart’s website also notes that 50% of a parent’s grocery store purchases are influenced by their children (2015).
Early childhood education is one of the best interventions to prevent the onset of obesity into adulthood. In Melbourne Australia, an initiative to promote nutrition and physical activity resulted in higher quality dietary intake amongst its participants (Spence et al., 2013). Another study conducted by Campbell (2008) examining the outcomes early childhood educational interventions had on young adults, noted that interventions such as Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere (CARE) and Abecedarian resulted in long term healthy lifestyle choices. These educational interventions can be provided through extracurricular activities during the summer, childcare centers, or through coordinated school health programs. Finally, a study evaluating food diversity as a result of nutrition educational programs concluded that there was an improvement in the types of foods children ate, with more children eating fruits and vegetables compared to their counterparts (Kuchenbecker et al., 2017).