Working on Wellness Environments
Working on Wellness Environments (WOW-E) is a Texas A&M AgriLife Extension multidisciplinary community development program

February is Heart Month

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This month marks the 56th consecutive heart month initiative. According to the American Heart Association, heart disease is the number one killer in the United States. The initiative promotes the importance of heart health and the need for more research, with a reminder to get everyone involved. Cardiovascular disease (heart disease and stroke combined) kills about 2,300 a day. Obesity in both youth and adults is at an all-time high. The American Heart Association wants you to consider these facts:

  • Heart disease kills more people than all forms of cancer combined
  • Heart attacks affect more people every year than the population of Dallas, Texas.
  • 83% believe that heart attacks can be prevented but aren’t motivated to do anything.
  • 72% of Americans don’t consider themselves at risk for heat disease.
  • And 58% put no effort into improving their heart health.

While there have been advances in medicine, the AHA says unhealthy lifestyle choices combined with rising obesity rates in both kids and adults have hindered progress fighting heart disease.

“The good news is that heart disease is preventable in most cases with healthy choices, which include not smoking, maintaing a healthy weight, controlling blood sugar and cholestrol, treating high blood pressure, getting at least 150 minutes of moderate-intesity physical activity a week and getting regular checkups.”

Working on Wellness Environments- Texas A&M Agrilife Extension is joining these efforts by promoting healthy foods and physical activity, supporting and providing technical assistance for the creation of local food systems, and working with local communities to create walkable downtowns and connecting safe, accessible areas to everyday destinations.

Tomorrow, February 7th, is National Wear Red Day! Go red for the awareness and prevention of heart disease. For more information, visit goredforwomen.org

Thanks to Dr. Jenna Anding for the resources!

Nationwide Launch of CDC’s Active People, Healthy Nation Initiative

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Today, CDC released new maps that highlight geographic and racial/ethnic disparities in physical inactivity in the U.S. State and territory-level estimates of physical inactivity range from 17% in Colorado to 48% in Puerto Rico. In the majority of states, non-Hispanic blacks and Hispanics had a significantly higher prevalence of inactivity than non-Hispanic whites. These data show that more efforts are needed to increase physical activity to prevent and control chronic disease in the U.S.

To address this issue, CDC just announced the launch of Active People, Healthy NationSM, a new initiative to help 27 million Americans become more physically active by 2027. The initiative promotes strategies that work at the state and local level and is based on a foundation of inclusion and health equity.

Working on Wellness Environments joined Active People, Healthy Nation, and we invite you to do the same. Individuals, organizations, and community champions that support any of the strategies that work can join.

  • Organizations can join to help expand the effort, receive regular updates and exclusive networking opportunities, and share success stories with a broader network.
  • Champions can join and implement community changes that are supportive of physical activity.
  • Individuals can engage in physical activity and support the work through your personal networks.

By joining this initiative, we can collectively bring attention to the importance of being active, promote what works, highlight our successes, and galvanize support for physical activity nationwide.

You can also help promote Active People, Healthy Nation within your networks!

We thank you in advance for joining this movement and helping to promote it within your networks! If you have any questions about Active People, Healthy Nation, please email activepeople@cdc.gov.

New Years Resolutions: Setting Successful Goals!

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From Dr. Jenna Anding

In 2015, 71% of Americans made some type of News Years Resolution, some of which included self-improvement, weight, money, and relationships. According to Texas A&M Agrilife Extension, top 3 reasons people tend to abandon their resolutions are 1. The resolution is not realistic, 2. People expect an unrealistic benefit out of the behavior change, 3. The person wasn’t prepared to change.

Texas A&M Agrilife Extension is sharing 6 simple steps to help Texans continue their resolutions throughout the year. These include: 1. Choose one! 2. Set Realistic Goals and be Specific, 3. Make a Plan, 4. Always have a Backup Plan, 5. Get Support, and 6. Reward Yourself!

Finally, be sure to check out Texas A&M Agrilife Extension plan’s here and you can customize the plan to your own needs!

New Infographic for Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity

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By: Leah Shafer Glaser

The CDC has developed Leading Health Indicators (LHI) as part of Healthy People 2020, communicating high-priority health issues and actions that can be taken to address them. Their most recent infographic addresses Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity. It’s a snapshot of progress toward targets — and a place to see where there’s still work to be done. Let’s take a look (full infographic at the bottom of this post).

The first part of the infographic shows the relationship between educational levels and the proportion of adults over 25 who met the guidelines for aerobic activity and for muscle strengthening activity in 2018.

Second, the infographic breaks down rates of adult obesity by race/ethnicity from 2013 to 2016 across the United States. Among Asians, the rate was lowest, at 12.5%. White, not Hispanic, was 37.1%, Hispanic was 44.9%, and Black, not Hispanic, was 48%.

The CDC has Healthy People Targets as part of Healthy People 2020, and this part of the infographic looks at physical activity, where the target was met in 2018. During that year, 24% (age adjusted) of adults 18 years and over met the current federal physical activity guidelines and muscle strengthening activity.

The next part looks at adult obesity, where the goal was not met and a 21% decrease is needed. In 2013-2016 in adults aged 20 years and over (age adjusted), the obesity rate was 38.6%.

Among children and adolescents aged 2-19 years, in 2013-2019, the obesity rate was 17.8% An 18.5% decrease is needed to meet the Healthy People Target in this category.

Finally, the infographic looks at daily vegetable intake for persons aged 2 and over, where a 52.6% increase is needed to meet the Healthy People Target. The mean daily intake was 0.76 cup equivalents of total vegetables per 1,000 calories (age adjusted).

About the CDC Leading Health Indicators

The Leading Health Indicators are a subset of 26 Healthy People 2020 objectives that communicate high-priority health issues. These indicators can help assess the health of the Nation, encourage collaboration across sectors, and motivate action to improve the health of the U.S. population at the national, state, and community levels.

Nutrition, Physical Activity, and ObesityInfographic for Healthy People 2020

A Special Year End Message

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As the year comes to an end, the Working on Wellness Environments team would like to take a moment to reflect on the great accomplishments achieved in 2019. Four counties across the State of Texas are participating in the Centers for Disease Control funded Working on Wellness Environments program. Coalitions in Starr, Webb, Maverick, and Hudspeth counties met in their respective counties to discuss issues in nutrition, food systems, and connectivity to find ways in becoming a more active and healthier community.

In all, we saw  over 40 partners from all kinds of organizations join these efforts. More than 8 coalition meetings were held, 10 RFAs were submitted, and 2 counties have had trainings in playability and walkability.

Counties interested in working with food systems and nutrition were able to conduct site visits with specialists, and in 2020, have upcoming plans to conduct assessments. The Working on Wellness Environments team is very grateful to be working alongside citizen champions who are committed to making their communities healthy.

In certain cases, the holiday’s make it tough to stay healthy with all of the delicious, traditional foods and sweets usually available. Don’t let eating healthy and staying active feel like an impossible feat this holiday season! If you are interested in ways in being healthy this holiday season and jump-starting your healthy New Years resolutions, please check out this resource.

Additionally, please find ways to stay active this holiday season here and here. The Working on Wellness Environments program would like to wish everybody a happy holiday! See you next year!