1.

Problem: Childhood Obesity

 Goal: reduce the prevalence of childhood obesity in the 28025 zip
code

Children and Youth in North Carolina:

Overweight or obese 30%

Not getting recommended fruit servings 37%
Not getting recommended vegetable servings 74%
Not getting recommended physical activity 27%

As a result…
• Children’s life expectancy is declining due to an increase in overweight1
• One in three American children born in 2000 will develop diabetes in their lifetime2

However…
• Active young people are more likely to remain active as adults3
• Family meals are associated with a greater intake of fruits and vegetables and fewer fried foods and soft
drinks4

1 Olshansky, S. et al., 2005. 2 VenkatNarayan, K.M., et al., 2005.

3 www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/obesity/childhood/contributing_factors.htm#top. 2007. 4 Neumark-Sztainer, D. et al., 2003.

As the charts indicate, childhood obesity rates have increased dramatically from 1974-2008. Although a
specific chart was not located for Cabarrus County, many obese adolescents were observed within the
school systems.
Objectives:

1. All schools within the 28025 community will offer nutritional lunches consisting of low fat,
low cholesterol, and low simple sugars resembling the food guide pyramid within a 3 year
time frame after planning and implementation of nutritional food options.
 Interventions:
o Offer a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables in a teenage friendly
manner. Examples: crinkle cut vegetables, fruit pizza, make your own salad
bar
o Contact Cabarrus County school board and advocate for mandation of all
trans fat free items and reduced total and saturated fat on the breakfast
and lunch menus
o Consult Cabarrus County school board director of food services and discuss
offering items such as pizza, fried chicken, and nachos to once per week
rather than everyday
2. Exercise programs will be incorporated every year in both public and private schools
requiring at least 30 minutes of daily exercise within a 2 year time frame
 Interventions
o Contact Cabarrus County school board regarding the implementation of
exercise programs
o Encourage after school programs and activities such as exercise clubs or
athletics
o Educate faculty and staff on the importance of daily exercise thus gaining
support for the requirement of daily exercise
3. All school nurses within the 28025 zip code will calculate each students Body Mass Index
(BMI) every year starting August 2010 school year to identify obesity and major health
concerns
 Interventions
o As student nurses, advocate to school nurses and administration that
measuring BMI, awareness will be increased to adolescents regarding the
prevalence of obesity amongst their population
o Provide training to teachers, principals, and other faculty on how to
calculate BMI; this will speed up the process and allow others to become
actively involved
o Advocate for allocation of funds for necessary resources such as scales and
height charts for every school
Health People 2010 (obtained from http://www.apha.org/programs/resources/obesity/obesityactplan.htm)
5 general goals

 Goal #1: Increase daily physical activity among children and adolescents.

 Goal #2: Reduce the amount of time kids spend watching television, video games,
and the Internet.

 Goal #3: Decrease the consumption of energy-dense, high-sugar/high-fat foods like

soda, ice cream, junk food, and fast food.

 Goal #4: Increase the consumption of nutritious foods like fruits, vegetables, whole
grains, and skim milk.

 Goal #5: Create social, monetary, and policy-driven incentives that reinforce long-
term environmental and behavioral change.

2. Problem: Teen Pregnancy in Adolescent Females, Ages 15-19

 Goal: reduce the rate of teen pregnancy and increase
awareness of the problem in the 28025 zip code
As statistics show in this chart the rate of teen pregnancy in Cabarrus County is continually
changing. Between 1997 and 2002 there was a slight increase followed by a minimal decrease
up into 2005. However teen pregnancy rates are beginning to increase once again.

Objectives:
1. All schools within the 28025 community will have educational resources such as
informational pamphlets concerning parent-child communication, rate of pregnancies,
and prevention measures available for adolescents within the first year of
implementation of pregnancy education.
2. There will be a sex education class offered in high school to address the issues of
prevention methods, sexually transmitted diseases and the pressures of being sexually
active within a three year time frame.
3. There will be a steady decline, at least 5%, in the number of adolescent pregnancies,
within the 28025 community, each year with evidence showing by 2020.