Childhood obesity continues to be an issue identified by our national government and regional and county stakeholders. It was identified in our Texas Community Futures Forum and is also a NIFA (National Institute of Food and Agriculture) goal for the Cooperative Extension Program.

During the past 20 years, there has been a dramatic increase in obesity in the United States and rates remain high. According to the Centers for Disease Control, more than one-third of U.S. adults (34.9% or 78.6 million) and approximately 17% (or 12.5 million) of children and adolescents aged 2-19 years are obese. According to countyhealthrankings.org, Bell County has approximately 29% of adults that are obese and 28% physically inactive. Thirteen percent have limited access to healthy foods. Fifty-six percent of people in Bell County ages 18 to 44 are at risk for obesity (The Texas Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System 2011-2015). Obesity-related conditions include heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancer, some of the leading causes of preventable death.

The Cooperative Extension Program uses a curriculum/cooking class series called A Taste of African Heritage created by Oldways, a non-profit food, and nutrition education organization. It is a six-lesson series that introduces participants to the rich cultural history of African Heritage foods. The diseases we know today, like diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and obesity, were much less frequent with traditional diets in earlier times. This cooking series demonstrates how eating like your ancestors can help: lower risk of heart disease and high blood pressure, avoid/help treat diabetes, and fight certain cancers. The six lesson topics are:

  • Herbs and Spices, Greens
  • Whole Grains, Beans, and Rice
  • Tubers and Mashes
  • Fruits and Vegetables

The target audience for Cooperative Extension is always limited resource individuals. Three groups participated in 2017:

  • Un-Included Club
    June 27, 29- Train the Trainer (7 teen leaders trained in curriculum) July 11, 13- 34 youth participants (classes lead by trained teen leaders)
  • City of Killeen
    June 1 (13 participants), August 3 (7 participants), September 7 (6 participants), October 5 (6 participants)
  • Laerdal Medical Corporation September (7 participants)

The Family & Consumer Sciences program planning committee met three times this year to provide input and assistance to this effort. They connected me to potential guest speakers, publicized classes, and gave input on potential new audiences. One of the county master wellness volunteers coordinated the city of Killeen series. She got classes publicized to employees and the public through flyers, social media, and the newspaper. She also secured funding for the recipe ingredients. I trained the teen leaders of the Un-Included Club first, then in the next month presented to their peers. They created their own power point presentations with videos and interactive games. They incorporated micro-greens that they grow into the recipes. They secured Temple Daily Telegram to write a cover article on the event.

A Taste of African Heritage has a pre-and post-survey to measure adoption of healthier eating habits. Twenty-one pre-surveys were completed but only nine post-surveys were completed (43%). Of the nine post-surveys, here are the following results:

Has this program changed the way you eat at all? If so, how?
“somewhat-am trying more spices and experimenting with greens more.”
“yes, by trying new foods.”
“yes, selection of foods.”
“eating more vegetables”
“I will incorporate many of the unusual beans/peas for all the vitamins and
minerals they contain”
“yes, I am trying new grains, beans, eating more greens and tubers”

The table below represents percent change (highlighted) from pre-to post-surveys. Blank spaces indicate no response.

Question: How often do you… Never 1-2/week 3-4/week 5-6/week Everyday
cook at home?   22%
No change
33%
(33% to 44%)
-66%
(33% to 11%)
100%
(11% to 22%)
cook with herbs and spices     -33%
(33% to 22%)
-33%
(22% to 11%)
50%
(44% to 67%)
eat greens?   67%
(33% to 56%)
-33%
(33% to 22%)
-50%
(22% to 11%)
11%
No change
eat whole grains?   100%
(22% to 44%)
-40%
(56% to 33%)
-50%
(22% to 11%)
11%
(0% to 11%)
eat beans? -100%
(11% to 0)
33%
(33% to 44%)
25%
(44% to 56%)
-100%
(11% to 0)
 
eat different tubers like sweet potatoes? 100%
(11% to 22%)
17%
(67% to 78%)
-100%
(22% to 0%)
   
eat vegetables?   -100%
(11% to 0%)
88%
(33% to 63%)
-72%
(44% to 13%)
125%
(11% to 25%)
eat fruit?   22%
No change
67%
No change
-100%
(11% to 13%)
 
eat vegetarian based meals? 13%
(22 % to 25%)
-33%
(56% to 37%)
125%
(11% to 25%)
12.5%
(11% to 12.5%)
 
exercise? -100%
(12.5% to 0%)
300%
(12.5% to 50%)
-33%
(75% to 50%)
   

Special thanks are extended to the Family and Consumer Sciences program committee for their guidance and support. In addition, appreciation is expressed to the Greater Killeen Free Clinic (City of Killeen), the Un-Included Club and Laerdal Medical Corporation for hosting/partnering and securing funding. Other special thanks to the Un-Included Club teen leaders for teaching their peers and truly owning the program.

This work was supported by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, 1890 Extension Formula Program projects under Section 1444.

Sheryl Austin
Sheryl Austin
FCS Extension Agent, Bell County
(254) 933-5305
SLAustin@ag.tamu.edu