One of Jefferson County Public Health’s service goals is supporting diverse population health by providing community outreach programs for chronic disease prevention services promoting a healthy community environment. Jefferson County Public Health, partnering with our local Hispanic and American Indian communities, has completed “Promoting a Healthy Environment” and “Healthy Futures for Warm Springs’ Children“ projects. These programs delivered essential knowledge on chronic disease prevention and encouraged fresh produce consumption and physical activity among these Jefferson County vulnerable populations. We learned that more encouragement and interventions are needed for youth to change behavior early enough to ensure lifelong healthy lifestyles, including healthy nutrition and frequent vigorous physical activity.
In the 2020-2023 Central Oregon Regional Health Improvement Plan, Jefferson County youth (8th and 11th-grade students) reported less than 3 days weekly exercise among 8th graders (22%) and a low index of fresh produce consumption among both 8th & 11th graders (20% & 15%). Thus, improvement is needed for Jefferson County youth to meet the goals by 10% increased points, per RHIP priorities. In our previous projects, educating Hispanic and American Indian school children and youth on healthy nutrition and the significance of physical exercise benefits appeared to be a powerful approach for learning healthy behavior and attitudes early. It would be very helpful to reach the RHIP (2020-2023) future state by increasing the rates above by at least 10% by 2023.
2020-2024 Regional Health Improvement Plan Priority Area
Promote Enhanced Physical Health Across Communities
Future State Measures
1) Increase fruit and vegetable consumption and/or physical activity among youth
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- This project is funded through the 2020-2024 Regional Health Improvement Plan's Promote Enhanced Physical Health Across Communities workgroup.
- The project received $117,857 in funding and is implemented by Jefferson County Public Health.
- Learn more about the importance of the measures from the Promote Enhanced Physical Health Across Communities priority area.
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Our project will have the following expected outcomes: increasing the numbers of students and youth with improved knowledge and skills on healthy lifestyles; healthy weight self-monitoring; gardening; and increasing the frequency of daily consuming and preparing fresh produce as part of a meal by youth and other community members.Our project design is intended to help reduce chronic disease in Jefferson County, a local fulfillment of the desired future state as prioritized in the RHIP, and contribute to decreasing health these inequities in Central Oregon. This proposed project will impact the community by increasing the following:
- Improved knowledge of healthy nutrition, physical exercise, weight control, and healthy choices in our youth communities.
- Increased number of young people consuming healthy food and doing vigorous physical activities regularly in the community throughout the project period.
- Increased number of people with better feelings, confidence, and the awareness needed to change attitudes and behavior toward healthy lifestyles.
- Increased number of people who have skills for weight self-monitoring and reaching a healthy weight
- Increased number of young people with improved effective techniques and skills for healthy eating and physical activity.
- Expanded and effective partnership network to contribute further Central Oregon Social Determinants of Health planning and implementation inputs.
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This project will aim at preventing chronic disease and premature death among Jefferson County residents by: better supporting healthy behavior choices of healthy eating habits among young adults and adolescents; addressing physical health needs while promoting wellness; and promoting physical activity by extending community outreach. The project’s major goal is to encourage youth to change to healthy lifestyles, increasing healthy nutrition consumption, and physical activity. Our project will focus on the following approaches:
- Healthy nutrition choices– promoting health knowledge and eating healthy through health education and community outreach events
- Physical and wellness activity – increasing then maintaining physical activity and healthy weight
- Community-clinical linkages – promoting healthy food and wellness referrals to access food pantry and wellness services.
This project will serve more than 400 people, including Hispanic and American Indian school children, youth, disabled students attending Madras High School, and other young adults aged 12 to 24 years in Madras, Metolius, and Culver areas of Jefferson County. This will be in collaboration with several partner organizations, such as Central Oregon NeigborImpact (food pantries located in Madras, Metolius, and Warm Springs), Jefferson County School District 509j, Madras Athletic Club, and Health Care provider.
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Develop healthy community networks to improve knowledge and foster experiences for healthy nutrition choices, and increase physical activity for high-risk youth priority groups by organizing 15 outreach events for 150 youth in Madras, Metolius, and Culver.
Create a supportive environment with better access to healthy nutritional sources by increasing healthy nutrition consumption and providing healthy fresh foods to more than 250 Hispanic and American Indian youth from Madras, Warm Springs, Metolius, and Culver attending Madras High School and their young adult family members.
Establish and strengthen referral linkages for patients at high risk for (and persons already living with) chronic diseases/conditions to community food nutrition, wellness, and consultation services for 70 high-risk people.
A Progress Report will be available in June 2022.
A Final Report will be available in January 2023.
Final outcomes will be shared under “What We’re Learning” after the final report is submitted.