Obesity Statistics and Prevention Activities in Nassau County
Statistics
Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Indicators
| Indicator | 3 Year Total | County Rate | State Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| % Pregnant Women in WIC Who Were Prepregnancy Overweight (BMI 26 - 29), Low SES (2005-07) | 1,787 | 18.7 | 15.4 |
| % Pregnant Women in WIC Who Were Prepregnancy Very Overweight (BMI Over 29), Low SES (2005-07) | 2,452 | 25.6 | 26.1 |
| % Overweight Children in WIC, 2-4 years, Low SES (2004-06) | 2,450 | 21.3 | 15.2 |
| % of Children in WIC, 0-4 years, viewing TV ≤2 hours per day (2004-06) | 4,819 | 68.8 | 75.5 |
| % of WIC mothers breastfeeding at 6 months (2004-06) | 2,796 | 47.1 | 38.6 |
Behavior/Risk Indicators (2003)
| Indicator | County Rate | CI # | State Rate | CI # |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| % Adults Overweight or Obese (BMI 25+) | 52.1 | ± 4.8 | 56.7 | ± 1.2 |
| % Adults Who Participated in Leisure Time Physical Activity in Last 30 Days | 75.6 | ± 4.3 | 74.6 | ± 1.0 |
| % Adults Eating 5 or More Fruits or Vegetables per Day | NA | NA | 25.8 | ± 1.4 |
| % Adults with Physician Diagnosed Diabetes | 5.8 | ± 1.9 | 7.2 | ± 0.6 |
| % Adults with Physician Diagnosed Angina, Heart Attack or Stroke | 8.0 | ± 2.4 | 6.9 | ± 0.5 |
| % Adults with Physician Diagnosed Arthritis | 25.8 | ± 3.9 | 25.7 | ± 1.0 |
Mortality-Related Indicators (2004-2006)
| Indicator | 3 Year Total | County Rate | State Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cardiovascular Disease Mortality Rate per 100,000 (ICD10 I00-I99) - Age-adjusted | 14,604 | 288.4 | 285.5 |
| Cerebrovascular Disease (Stroke) Mortality Rate per 100,000 (ICD10 I60-I69) - Age-adjusted | 1,270 | 25.3 | 30.5 |
| Diabetes Mortality rate per 100,000 (ICD10 E10-E14) - Age-adjusted | 524 | 10.6 | 18.8 |
Hospitalization-Related Indicators (2004-2006)
| Indicator | 3 Year Total | County Rate | State Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cardiovascular Disease Hospitalization Rate per 10,000 (ICD9 390-459) - Age-adjusted | 92,467 | 191.5 | 184.2 |
| Cerebrovascular Disease (Stroke) Hospitalization Rate per 10,000 (ICD9 430-438) - Age-adjusted | 13,461 | 27.6 | 26.7 |
| Diabetes Hospitalization Rate per 10,000 (Primary Diagnosis ICD9 250) - Age-adjusted | 6,398 | 14.2 | 19.7 |
Notes
- Age-adjusted rates are based on the 2000 US Census population
- CI # - 95% confidence interval for BRFSS/Expanded BRFSS indicators
Prevention Program Activities Funded by the State Department of Health
Overweight and Obesity Prevention Program
The Department of Family Medicine at SUNY Stony Brook University Medical Center, received a five-year grant to establish a “Center for Best Practices” for the prevention of overweight and obesity in the prenatal and infancy periods. The “Long Island Center for Pediatric Obesity Prevention Best Practices” is training healthcare providers to counsel pregnant women about optimal weight gain, promote healthy eating by mothers and their infants, create environments that support breastfeeding, implement procedures related to the introduction of solids to infants, and help establish healthy relationships to food. The center is working with healthcare providers, high-need communities through school districts, child care centers and worksites to run educational, screening, and prevention programs. Programs through the center build on other nutrition education/outreach programs such as the Heart Links Project, a DOH-funded program since 1993 focusing on improving the school food environment.
- The center’s first “Continuing Medical Education” (CME) event, focused on the connection between maternal weight, infant feeding and childhood obesity prevention, co-sponsored by the Suffolk County Perinatal Coalition, was attended by over 200 physicians, nurses, social workers and other allied health professionals.
- A toolkit was developed for distribution at CME lecture series events and future partnerships with health care providers. The toolkit currently contains BMI monitoring tools, bilingual patient education, office displays and community resources.
- In October 2008, the “Center for Best Practices” helped its first childcare center to attain the “Breastfeeding Friendly” designation from the state health Department’s Child and Adult Care Food. The Brightwaters Child Care and Development Center – Kiddie Academy at Brightwaters is the only child care center on Long Island to have received the designation.
- Future initiatives planned through the center and Heart Links communities include: awareness/educational activities to support policy changes that increase screening and identification for obesity by healthcare providers; workshops for parents and primary care providers by registered dieticians and physical education professionals; and the creation of referral networks for healthcare providers for children diagnosed with overweight/obesity.
The New York State Child Care Coordinating Council received a five-year grant for statewide implementation of the “Nutrition and Physical Activity Self-Assessment for Child Care” (NAP SACC). Because 25% of US children age 2 to 5 years are overweight or obese, and weight status in early childhood tracks into later childhood and adolescence, the child care setting is an important target for obesity prevention. NAP SACC, an evidence-informed intervention, is designed to assist child day care centers in modifying their environment, policies and staff practices to promote healthier eating, increased physical activity and reduced TV and other recreational media viewing among children. Each child care center that participates in the intervention works with a trained consultant to implement a process that includes center self-assessment, improvement planning, staff training, and technical assistance provided over a six-month period. Results are evaluated by comparing center performance, documented by the self-assessments, before and after the intervention.
The council, working with child care resource and referral agencies throughout the state, will implement the NAP SACC intervention in approximately 35 to 40 child care centers each year, for up to five years. In 2008-09, work will continue in Erie and Oneida counties and expand to include centers in Sullivan, Suffolk, Nassau and Manhattan.
Healthy Heart Program
Through Healthy Heart Program funding, Parks and Trails New York helps communities develop trails through community workshops, technical assistance in plan development and mini-grants. They are helping with the Long Island Motor Parkway Trail.
Through Healthy Heart Program funding, the Research Foundation of SUNY - Stony Brook and NYS Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance have worked with 83 schools in Nassau County to increase opportunities for eating healthy foods. Sample accomplishments include:
- Establishing a wellness committee;
- Establishing a policy to serve only low-fat and fat free milk;
- Improving the vending machine offerings;
- Eliminating use of food as a reward or punishment;
- Incorporating physical activity into the school day;
- Establishing classroom snack policies; and
- Including nutrition education in the curriculum.
Through Healthy Heart Program funding, the Initiative for Healthy Infrastructure (iHi) at SUNY Albany, helped Nassau County develop a plan for creating a healthy infrastructure. The plan includes health statistics, traffic safety data, analysis of walkable areas and current initiatives addressing active transportation and places to be physically active such as parks, and policy suggestions for a more walkable/bikeable/active community.
The Diabetes Prevention and Control Program
The Diabetes Resource Coalition of Long Island led by Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County, is one of 15 regional Community Coalitions for Diabetes Prevention funded by the Diabetes Prevention and Control Program. The coalitions provide community-based programming for the prevention of diabetes and its complications. In addition to hosting educational events focused on nutrition, physical activity and diabetes management, the coalitions engage in education for health care providers working with people with or at risk for diabetes, and promote policy, systems, and environmental change. Examples of changes include expanding walking trails, including healthy choice foods and beverages in vending machines, and offering flex time for employees to take longer walks during their lunchtime.
Partners of the Diabetes Resource Coalition (DRC) of Long Island include the Suffolk County Health Department, Nassau County Health Department, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Nassau County, JT Mather Hospital, Island Peer Review Organization, American Diabetes Association, Stony Brook Medical Center, Nassau County Medical Center, Brookhaven Hospital, and certified diabetes educators. This coalition reaches providers and community members through its innovative website, and conducts media campaigns on obesity prevention and supermarket tours to educate customers on healthier food choices.
WIC
The Nassau County Health Department and the Long Island Jewish Medical Center administer the WIC Program, serving over 15,500 women, infants and children each month in Nassau County. WIC has implemented a number of obesity prevention initiatives, including breastfeeding support, Fit WIC physical activity training for parents, patient-centered nutrition education, low-fat milk promotion, and the new WIC food package which includes vegetables and fruits, whole grains, and non-fat and low-fat milk.
Eat Well Play Hard in Child Care Settings
The Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), a nutrition and meal reimbursement program for day care homes, day care centers and after school programs provides a grant to Child Care Council of Nassau, Inc., to implement Eat Well Play Hard in Child Care Settings in Nassau County. Since July 2007, staff, children and parents in six low-income child care centers in Nassau County have been provided with nutrition education, obesity prevention, and physical activity interventions.
Increasing Access to Healthy Foods in the Emergency Food Network
Through the Hunger and Nutrition Assistance Program and the Just Say Yes to Fruits and Vegetables Nutrition Education Program, emergency food recipients have increased availability of healthy foods like fresh produce and 1% or fat free milk, and an increased knowledge of how to prepare these foods. Last year, more than $80,000 worth of fresh produce and 1% or fat free milk was made available to emergency food relief organizations in the Long Island Cares food bank region which covers Nassau and Suffolk counties. In addition, 1,786 individuals participated in 152 nutrition education workshops in the Long Island Cares food bank region last year.
