Fayette for Fitness campaign launched
Fayette for Fitness, a community-wide health improvement challenge that focuses on improving overall health through sustained physical activity and good nutrition choices, has been launched in Fayette County. Fayette County boasts one of the highest death rates in the state from cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, respiratory disease and even accidents, according to a recent press release from the American Heart Association (AHA).
The AHA said this morality rate is more surprising given the quality health care that is easily accessible for most individuals.
However, good health care is only part of the solution. Recent studies have found that the reason for the alarming statistics stems from the following factors:
– Obesity. Fayette Greene and Washington counties have the highest percentage of overweight and obese adults in the state, with a whopping 62 percent of the population tipping the scale too high. Obesity triggers a variety of chronic health problems, including diabetes, hypertension, musculoskeletal disorders, stroke and overall decreased life expectancy.
– Physical inactivity. Nearly one quarter of Pennsylvania adults report that they do not exercise at all.
– Diet. Only 23 percent of Pennsylvania adults eat the recommended five or more servings of fruit and vegetables a day.
– Education and income level. Less education and lower income groups are more at risk for poor health.
In Fayette County, 20 percent of the population lives below the poverty level with an average per capita income of $18,672. In the Fayette County schools, 48 percent of the children are low income, and only 58 percent of graduates continue to receive post-secondary education.
( Smoking. A quarter of the adult population in Pennsylvania is smoking cigarettes regularly.
The risk factors, combined with the ensuing long-term consequences to the Fayette County health care system, have provided the impetus for the founding of the Community Health Improvement Partnership.
The Community Health Improvement Partnership believes that a program focusing on weight loss, diet, exercise and decreased smoking will significantly impact the fact of Fayette County residents.
Current aspects of the program include:
– Fayette for Fitness, a community-wide health improvement challenge that focuses on improving overall health through sustained physical activity and good nutrition choices.
All are welcome, and it is free to anyone who wants to participate and improve individual health. Fayette for Fitness is a very flexible, 12-week program where participants keep tract of the total time they engage in physical activity and their consumption of fruits and vegetables, low-fat dairy problems and water to complete bi-weekly logs and become eligible for prizes.
The program runs from Sept. 1 to Nov. 23; however, registration will continue through today.
For more information concerning Fayette for Fitness, call the Community Health Challenge at 724-283-9955.
– The American Heart Association’s Heart Walk will be held at Penn State University’s Fayette Campus on Saturday, Oct. 5. Registration begins at 9 a.m., and the walk starts at 10 a.m. To sign up individually or as a team, call Cindy Digga at 724-437-2798.
– Walking Works! is a 16-week physical activity program for individuals or employees that tracks the outcomes and potential behavior change. The program uses a confidential pre- and post-screening of individual blood pressure, blood cholesterol, body mass index, height and weight. Participants then complete a 16-week walking program, and logs are completed for the days a person walks.
To learn more about this program and sign up, call Digga at 724-437-2798.
These programs represent only the beginning for the Community Health Improvement Partnership’s project.
The partnership’s ultimate goal is that the entire community will come together to make Fayette County a healthier place to live.
Accordingly, the Community Health Improvement Partnership would like to invite community leaders, stakeholders and anyone who would like to improve health in Fayette County to a brainstorming and informational meeting on Friday, Oct. 11, at Swimmer Hall at Penn State Fayette from 1 to 4 p.m. For more information, call Thelma Sandy, president of the Uniontown Hospital Foundation, at 724-430-5670.
The Community Health Improvement Partnership is currently supported and endorsed through Uniontown Hospital, the Uniontown Hospital Foundation, the Pennsylvania Department of Health, the American Heart Association, the American Diabetes Association, the American Cancer Society, Penn State Fayette Campus and Community Health Challenge of Southwestern Pennsylvania.