Craven County North Carolina Obesity Epidemic Craven Essay

Craven County North Carolina Obesity Epidemic Craven County, North Carolina is located in the Coastal Plains section of North Carolina and is situated halfway between New York and Florida. Craven County is reported to cover 708.43 square miles of land area and is characterized by flat land to gently rolling hills. Craven County is topographically flat with the average elevation approximately 17.5 feet above sea level. Craven County is reported as rural with no metropolitan areas and to be comprised of two cities: (1) New Bern; and (2) Havelock and six other towns that are incorporated. Recreational activities in Craven County are reported to include easy access to water with the terrain, temperature, and climate being conducive to many outdoor recreational activities including sailing, boating, fishing, hunting, golf and other activities. Demographics Craven County, North Carolina has a population of 96,892 and the median household income is $38,473. The hardship index in Craven County is stated at 31.8 with 0 being the easiest and 100 being the most difficult. The population of Craven County, North Carolina living below the poverty index is 14.9% of the population. The Demographics for Craven County, North Carolina are reported as shown in the following table labeled Figure 1. Figure 1. Demographics DEMOGRAPHICS % White, 2008 69.6% % Hispanic, 2008 3.9% % Asian, 2008 1.3% % Black, 2008 23.3% % Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, 2008 0.1% % Amer. Indian or Alaska Native, 2008 0.4% Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2013) II. Health Status The following table shows the health status of individuals living in Craven County, North Carolina as compared to its peer counties in the United States. Figure 2. Health Status of Craven County, North Carolina Compared to Its' Peers Unfavorable/Unfavorable Quadrant Low Birth Wt. (<2500 g) Very Low Birth Wt. (<1500 g) No Care in First Trimester Colon Cancer Suicide Unfavorable/Favorable Quadrant Births to Women under 18 Post-neonatal Infant Mortality Breast Cancer (Female) Lung Cancer Motor Vehicle Injuries Stroke Favorable/Unfavorable Quadrant Neonatal Infant Mortality Unintentional Injury Favorable/Favorable Quadrant Premature Births (<37 weeks) Births to Women age 40-54 Births to Unmarried Women Infant Mortality White non-Hispanic Infant Mortality Black non-Hispanic Infant Mortality Hispanic Infant Mortality Coronary Heart Disease Homicide Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2013) III. Access to Care Access to Care in Craven County, North Carolina is reported to be as follows: Uninsured individuals (under 65 years of age) 14,532 Medicare Beneficiaries Elderly (Age 65+) 14,017 Disabled 3,064 Medicaid beneficiaries 16,569 Primary care physicians per 100,000 pop 64.7 Dentists per 100,000 pop 53.7

Community/Migrant Health Centers No

Health Professional Shortage Area No

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2013)

IV. Overweight Children and Adults

According to reports children and youth that are overweight or obese are 30% of the population of Craven County with 37% not getting the recommended fruits servings and 74$ not getting their recommended vegetable servings and 27% not getting the recommended physical activity. The life expectancy of children is declining due to an increase in overweight and one in three American children born in 2000 will develop diabetes in their lifetime. (EatsmartmovemoreNC.com, nd, p.1). Of the restaurants in Craven County, North Carolina 54% of these are fast food restaurants, which compares to the national benchmark of 25% and the North Carolina total of 49% of restaurants being fast food restaurants. Educational level of individuals living in Craven County are stated as follows:

High School Graduate 81%

Some college 63%

Unemployed 10.5%

Children in Poverty 25%

Inadequate social support 19%

Children in Single-parent households 38%

V. Health Status

14% of individuals in Craven County are stated to be in poor or fair health with 3.2% of the population reporting poor physical health days and 3.2% of the population reporting poor mental health days. The average low birth weight in Craven County, North Carolina is stated at 8.8%.

VI. EFNEP Program Reports

The Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program 2012 NC Cooperative Extension Craven County Report states that 73 families participated in EFNEP in Craven County, North Carolina….....