1. Eating Affordable Together
Problem
The obesity rate since the 1980’s in teens has gone from 5% to over 20%, while in Portage County 15% of youth is considered obese. Obesity negatively affects these adolescent’s mental well-being such as anxiety or depression and their physical well-being such as type 2 diabetes, hyper tension, heart disease, or stroke. We plan on incorporating aspects that are likeable to the average high school student and/or their parent or legal guardian to improve their overall well-being. Portage County 6th-12th Grade Youth did the following to lose weight in the past 30 days:
Ate more fruits and vegetables 31%
Ate less food, fewer calories, or foods lower in fat 31%
Skipped meals 18%
Went without eating for 24 hours 6% Took diet pills, powders, or liquids without a doctor’s advice 2%
Vomited or took laxatives 2%
Smoked cigarettes 2%.
This is a problem because adolescents in Portage County are not being educated on the correct way to lose weight the healthy way. With a series of classes for an after school program, overtime we will implement every aspect we feel necessary to have within an individual’s lifestyle to be as healthy as possible.
Outcomes
The Eating Affordable Together intervention plans that by integrating healthier eating habits with an affordable price, it could hopefully reduce the obesity rate of adolescents in Portage County. For those who participate in the E.A.T. intervention, they will gain knowledge on how to properly prepare healthy meals and how to budget their expenses on food. The skills learned throughout the intervention will be carried home with them and used throughout their lifetime. We are focusing on adolescents and their parent or legal guardian because it is important to us that this is an important time in an adolescent’s life to make changes to their diet. While also targeting the adult figure in the adolescent’s life because majority of the individuals still depend on these parents or legal guardians for guidance and resources such as food. As a result, E.A.T. expects to see an overall 20% reduction in obesity in adolescents by ten years from the start date. After this intervention we would like to see the participants implement the resources and skills that we provided throughout our workshops in hopes of continuing a healthy life style.
Nicole Teefy, Emily Eichhorn, Brittney Beery
Our Mission: To provide basic knowledge and skills on the proper nutrition to improve health.
Intervention
When implementing our intervention we are going to prepare cooking classes for both students and their families to attend. These classes would focus on showing and educating these individuals on how to make affordable, healthy and simple meals. We also plan to find a way to videotape these sessions and post online as a way to make them access to those who may not be able to attend the session.
Trying to implement our intervention will require many materials. In order to have a successful intervention, we will need items essential to cooking, like pots, pans, cooking utensils, and lastly food.
We plan to have this intervention start on January 17t, 2016 and the classes will be held four times a month twice for adults and twice for the adolescents.
Educate people how to properly budget their money when purchasing and shopping for food.
Expand the knowledge of nutrients found in uncommon foods.
Show individuals how to create healthier versions of favorite culture meals
Copyright Colin Purrington (
Literature cited
Portage County Health Assessment. (2016) Community Health Status Assessment. Examining the Health of Portage County. Childhood Obesity. Retrieved from
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2016) Childhood Obesity Facts. Saving Lives. Protecting People. Retrieved from
Michelle Obama's 'Let's Move' Is Losing Its Footing." Health Affairs. The People-to-People Health Foundation, Inc, 28 June Web. 06 Dec Retrieved from
Acknowledgments
College of Public Health
Department of Social and Behavioral Science
Ravenna High School Administration
PTA of Ravenna High School
Further information
For information regarding E.A.T please us at or visit the Ravenna High School website and click on the link for E.A.T.
Supervisor: Cindy Widuck 1