Comprehensive Interventions for Community Change to Reduce Obesity in Hyde County, NC Grant uri icon

abstract

  • The government employees of Hyde County and Hyde County Schools are charged with educating and improving the health and wellbeing residents. Dr. Watts will provide technical assistance to county staff to implement interventions and then evaluate the progress to ensure intervention fidelity and to support the sustainability of the physical activity interventions selected. We will work with county leaders to increase residents? physical activity participation. Physical activity is a protective factor against disease and can effectively reduce many existing disease states (e.g. Type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, atherosclerosis, orthopedic strain, and hypertension). Our comprehensive program in Hyde County will achieve the following: 1) assess physical activity preferences and opportunities with a needs assessment, 2) implement age-appropriate curriculum about the importance of physical activity for reducing obesity and related disease states, 3) establish supportive physical activity groups during afterschool programs and at community centers, and (4) provide public walking trails at school campuses for children?s use (day) and family use (afterschool/evening). Specific interventions include a Junior Master Gardener Program, SPARK, a walking challenge, intramural sports and more. All children in grades 1-12 in the Mattamuskeet and Ocracoke campuses will be engaged in the program (approximately 930 students). Adults in each area of Hyde County (5 designated zones) will have the opportunity to participate in community center based physical activity education, group activities, and access walking trails (4500 adults in these regions). Of these residents, 30% have a disability, 1 in 4 lives below the poverty line, and individuals have a median family income of $13,164. Dr. Watts has worked as an evaluator and technical assistant with Hyde county since 2009. He has worked in health promotion, worksite health, dropout prevention, and with afterschool programs in the area. He has a long record of working with health and human service interventions dating back to 1995. Dr. Randolph Latimore is the Hyde County Superintendent of Schools S. Mr. Wesley Smith is the Head of the Department of Health for Hyde County. We expect to increase knowledge and attitudes towards physical activity as well as increase the number of county residents meeting Centers for Disease Control physical activity recommendations. The efficacy of the interventions will be monitored throughout the program and offerings will be adjusted to meet county and participants? needs.

date/time interval

  • January 2011 - December 2013