Tuesday, October 3, 2023
10/3/2023
The purpose of this project is to provide access to high quality, culturally relevant, evidence-based care for children and their families for the purposes of optimizing their well-being and laying the foundation for positive health outcomes during their adult years. The 10-leading cause of death in Alabama (AL) respectively are heart disease, cancer, COVID-19, chronic lower respiratory diseases, stroke, Alzheimer’s disease, accidents, diabetes, influenza/pneumonia, and kidney disease (CDC, 2022). Except for the respiratory illnesses, all the diseases are impacted by lifestyle choices such as nutrition and exercise. Poor health during the child and adolescent years contributes to poor health outcomes as an adult, poor quality of life, and premature death. When compared to the rest of the U.S, Alabama’s children and adolescents have more obesity, and the problem is becoming worse year over year. Healthy meals and exercise are known to contribute to healthy weight, decreased chronic disease and positive health outcomes. Yet we know that nutrition and exercise are strongly influenced by social determinants. Children from under resourced communities struggle with adequate and healthy nutrition and a built environment that is often not conducive for outdoor activities that promote exercise. We intend to use the Life Course Model with a Collective Impact focus to develop an upstream prevention program to help children establish positive health behaviors and increase their access to preventive health care. Our plan is to establish a wellness initiative in Titusville that will help children and their families learn how to incorporate healthy eating and exercise into their daily routine. We do this by addressing food insecurity and increasing access to healthy foods with a mobile market, providing nutrition education with evidence-based weight management programs designed for minority communities from the SNAP-Ed Tool Kit, and increasing access to saf e, age appropriate physical activity through afterschool programs that takes place at Sixth Avenue Baptist Church, the local elementary school and community recreation center. Because many of the foods that cause dental decay also cause obesity, grant activities will include oral health education through the lifespan, surveillance screenings for caries and referral.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).
