The obesity epidemic in Craven County, North Carolina

Craven County North Carolina Obesity Epidemic

Craven County, North Carolina is located in the Coastal Plains section of North Carolina and is situated halfway between New York and Florida. Craven County is reported to cover 708.43 square miles of land area and is characterized by flat land to gently rolling hills. Craven County is topographically flat with the average elevation approximately 17.5 feet above sea level. Craven County is reported as rural with no metropolitan areas and to be comprised of two cities: (1) New Bern; and (2) Havelock and six other towns that are incorporated. Recreational activities in Craven County are reported to include easy access to water with the terrain, temperature, and climate being conducive to many outdoor recreational activities including sailing, boating, fishing, hunting, golf and other activities.

Demographics

Craven County, North Carolina has a population of 96,892 and the median household income is $38,473. The hardship index in Craven County is stated at 31.8 with 0 being the easiest and 100 being the most difficult. The population of Craven County, North Carolina living below the poverty index is 14.9% of the population. The Demographics for Craven County, North Carolina are reported as shown in the following table labeled Figure 1.

Figure 1. Demographics

DEMOGRAPHICS

% White, 2008

69.6%

% Hispanic, 2008

3.9%

% Asian, 2008

1.3%

% Black, 2008

23.3%

% Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, 2008

0.1%

% Amer. Indian or Alaska Native, 2008

0.4%

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2013)

II. Health Status

The following table shows the health status of individuals living in Craven County, North Carolina as compared to its peer counties in the United States.

Figure 2. Health Status of Craven County, North Carolina Compared to Its' Peers

Unfavorable/Unfavorable Quadrant

Low Birth Wt. (

Very Low Birth Wt. (

No Care in First Trimester

Colon Cancer

Suicide

Unfavorable/Favorable Quadrant

Births to Women under 18

Post-neonatal Infant Mortality

Breast Cancer (Female)

Lung Cancer

Motor Vehicle Injuries

Stroke

Favorable/Unfavorable Quadrant

Neonatal Infant Mortality

Unintentional Injury

Favorable/Favorable Quadrant

Premature Births (

Births to Women age 40-54

Births to Unmarried Women

Infant Mortality

White non-Hispanic Infant Mortality

Black non-Hispanic Infant Mortality

Hispanic Infant Mortality

Coronary Heart Disease

Homicide

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2013)

III. Access to Care

Access to Care in Craven County, North Carolina is reported to be as follows:

Uninsured individuals (under 65 years of age) 14,532

Medicare Beneficiaries

Elderly (Age 65+) 14,017

Disabled 3,064

Medicaid beneficiaries 16,569

Primary care physicians per 100,000 pop 64.7

Dentists per 100,000 pop 53.7

Community/Migrant Health Centers No

Health Professional Shortage Area No

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2013)

IV. Overweight Children and Adults

According to reports children and youth that are overweight or obese are 30% of the population of Craven County with 37% not getting the recommended fruits servings and 74$ not getting their recommended vegetable servings and 27% not getting the recommended physical activity. The life expectancy of children is declining due to an increase in overweight and one in three American children born in 2000 will develop diabetes in their lifetime. (EatsmartmovemoreNC.com, nd, p.1). Of the restaurants in Craven County, North Carolina 54% of these are fast food restaurants, which compares to the national benchmark of 25% and the North Carolina total of 49% of restaurants being fast food restaurants. Educational level of individuals living in Craven County are stated as follows:

High School Graduate 81%

Some college 63%

Unemployed 10.5%

Children in Poverty 25%

Inadequate social support 19%

Children in Single-parent households 38%

V. Health Status

14% of individuals in Craven County are stated to be in poor or fair health with 3.2% of the population reporting poor physical health days and 3.2% of the population reporting poor mental health days. The average low birth weight in Craven County, North Carolina is stated at 8.8%.

VI. EFNEP Program Reports

The Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program 2012 NC Cooperative Extension Craven County Report states that 73 families participated in EFNEP in Craven County, North Carolina and of these 60% were also WIC participants and 88% of EFNEP participants enrolled in one or more food assistance programs.

Among limited resource adults, it is reported as follows:

76% improved in one or more food safety practices

97% improved in one or more nutrition practices

92% improved in one or more food resource management practices

40% of participants increased the amount of daily physical activity

100% of participants improved their diet

50% drank fewer sugar-sweetened beverages

51% increased number of weekly meals eaten together as a family (EFNEP, 2012)

Among 441 Limited Resource Youths, the following is stated:

66% increased variety of foods in their diet

77% increased their knowledge of human nutrition

88% increased their ability to select low-cost, nutritious foods

23% improved practices in food preparation and safety (EFNEP, 2012)

X. Health Needs Concerning Obesity

For many years heart disease was the leading cause of death in the state of North Carolina the following table displays data showing the heart deaths per 100,000 individuals over the past five years for Craven County North Carolina and a group of peer counties similar to the population of Craven County.

Figure. 4 Age Adjusted Rates for Heart-Related Deaths

Source: Craven County Community Health Assessment (2011)

The same information is shown in the following table for Diabetes deaths in Craven County, North Carolina.

Figure 5. Ave Adjusted Rates for Diabetes Related Deaths

Source: Craven County Community Health Assessment (2011)

X. Addressing the Problem of Obesity in Craven County

Addressing the problem of obesity in Craven County, North Carolina will require that all stakeholders are bought in to the initiative and that all health care resources in Craven County, North Carolina, as well as schools, community centers and families become involved in the initiative. Fast food restaurants also will be approached concerning what they can do to present meals that are low in caloric intake and high in nutritional value.

Summary and Conclusion

This study has stated the health care statistics for Craven County, North Carolina relating to the problem of obesity and has further set out an initiative for addressing this problem in Craven County, North Carolina.