Colorado adults remain leanest in the nation

Colorado remained the leanest state in the nation in 2015, with a 20.2 percent adult obesity rate, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System.

Colorado’s obesity rate increased dramatically from 2000 through 2010 but since then has leveled off. Nevertheless, one in five Colorado adults is obese, and obesity rates are higher for African-American (27.7 percent) and Hispanic (28.3 percent) Coloradans.

“Our efforts seem to be contributing to a growing awareness across Colorado of the health costs of obesity and the benefits of a healthy lifestyle,” said Joan Brucha, manager of the health department’s Healthy Eating Active Living Unit. “But we can see there’s clearly more work to be done to make Colorado the healthiest state in the nation.”

Obesity is a complex problem, with many causes and consequences. Obesity-related conditions include heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancer -- some of the leading causes of preventable death.

Colorado is the second-fastest growing state in the nation, according to new Census Bureau data, attracting people drawn to its outdoor opportunities, abundant sunshine and active lifestyle. Coloradans rank first in physical activity according to United Health Foundation’s annual health rankings. But it has experienced the same growth in the prevalence of obesity as other states in the nation.

Gov. Hickenlooper’s 2013 State of Health Report named statewide obesity prevention and reduction a priority, as he called for making Colorado the healthiest state in the nation. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and local public health agencies also have prioritized obesity reduction.

For more information on Jefferson County Public Health programs working to encourage physical activity and healthy eating check out www.healthyjeffco.com. For access to the Jefferson County Public Health Nutrition Services Program and WIC be sure to visit the Jefferson County Public Health website.

September is Childhood Obesity Awareness Month

One in 3 children in the United States are overweight or obese. Childhood obesity puts kids at risk for health problems that were once seen only in adults, like type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease.

Childhood obesity can be prevented. Communities, health professionals, and families can work together to create opportunities for kids to eat healthier and get more active.


Make a difference for kids: Spread the word about strategies for preventing childhood obesity and encourage communities, organizations, families, and individuals to get involved.

We can all use this month to raise awareness about the obesity epidemic and show people how they can take steps toward a solution. Here are just a few ideas:

• Encourage families to make small changes, like keeping fresh fruit within their children’s reach or going on a family walk after dinner.
• Motivate teachers and administrators to make schools healthier. Help them provide healthy food options and daily physical activities for students.
• Ask doctors and nurses to be leaders in their communities by supporting programs to prevent childhood obesity

Last year, Jefferson County Public Health, Triad Early Childhood Council, and Culture of Wellness in Preschools formed the Healthy Preschool Partnership (HPP). The partnership has been working together to support the health and well-being of children and staff in early care and education settings. In 2015-2016, the Health Preschool Partnership worked with 17 early care and education sites in Jefferson and Gilpin County to increase physical activity and healthy eating practices. This partnership is planning on continuing early childhood obesity prevention work and partnership in the upcoming year.

Culture of Wellness in Preschools continues to do great work in Jefferson County Head Start Programs and throughout the Denver area.

Another partner organization, Go Farm, is a local Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) that is working with Early Care and Education sites to increase access to healthy foods for preschoolers and their families in Jefferson County through their Go Farm to Families program.

September is a great time to access 5210 Jeffco. 5210 Jeffco is a simple, easy-to-remember message to improve child health by promoting healthy eating and physical activity in Jefferson County. Adopted from 5210 Let’s Go!, a program out of Maine, 5210 Jeffco reminds families of four healthy habits to aim for each day:

The 5210 message works in many settings to reach families and children where they live, learn, work, and play. The goal is that 5210 Jeffco will not only get the word out about healthy habits for children to live by, but also inspire community change through policies that support healthy environments for all. Let's work together to give everyone the same opportunity to make the healthy choice the easy choice in Jefferson County.

Health for the Holidays-- the Perfect Gifts!

This year, give your friends and family the gift of health. Jefferson County Public Health professionals have 5 healthy, fun and unique gift ideas.

A Reusable Water Bottle: Not only will you be giving the gift of adequate hydration, you’ll save the receiver of the gift money and the world from further plastic bottle pollution! Any reusable water bottle is better than a plastic one that will be thrown away but, ideally, glass or stainless steel bottles are the best because they do not contain chemicals (such as BPA) that many plastic water bottles do. As plastic breaks down over time and loses its integrity, harmful chemicals from the plastic can be released into the water held in the bottle and can be unsafe to drink.

A Jump Rope: A classic, proven, tried and true exercise machine, jump ropes are affordable and easy to use. Jumping rope for just 10 minutes is a huge dose of aerobic exercise. This exercise makes you use your arms, your core stabilizer muscles, all the leg muscles, and it gets your heart rate up in that vigorous exercise range. Staying physically active and maintaining a healthy weight is a great way to keep healthy.

Electronic Toothbrush for Kids: When we make tooth brushing fun, kids tend to stay at it longer and brush more thoroughly. Today’s awesome technology combined with good oralhygiene provides the perfect oral health gift for children- an electric toothbrush. This fun gadget can make regular tooth brushing fun. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), about 1 of 5, or 20%, of children aged 5 to 11 years have at least one untreated decayed tooth. Tooth decay (or cavities) is one of the most common chronic conditions of childhood in the United States. Untreated tooth decay can cause pain and infections that may lead to problems with eating, speaking, playing, and learning. Give a child in your life an electronic toothbrush and help minimize visits to the dentist.

Yoga Lessons for friends, family, neighbors and anyone else on your list: The science of Yoga has been used for centuries to enhance physical and emotional well-being. Yoga classes are a wonderful gift to encourage mind and body alignment and improve flexibility. “It’s also a great way to reduce the stresses of everyday life. Yoga helps make the body more flexible and helps you relax, Yoga has something to offer for everyone,” says Elise Lubell, Director of JCPH’s Health Promotion and Lifestyle Management Division. Check with your local recreation center for affordable, beginner yoga classes.





A Healthy Cookbook: Whether you are cooking for just yourself, one to two people, or a larger group, planning meals is a good place to start improving your food choices. Taking the time to plan a healthy evening meal can help you avoid a less healthful "drive-through" dinner. There are many great and simple cookbook options available, as healthy eating is a major health focus and prevention strategy today. To make preparing health foods as easy as possible, choose a cook book with simple recipes involving as few ingredients as possible. A great online resource to get started is the CDC’s Healthy Eating for a Healthy Weight website.

September is Childhood Obesity Awareness Month

In the United States, 1 in 3 children is overweight or obese and, according to the 2013 Colorado Health Survey, nearly 1 in 4 children are overweight or obese in Colorado. Childhood obesity puts kids at risk for health problems that were once seen only in adults, like type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease.

Many different factors contribute to children being overweight and obese, such as lack of physical activity. In Colorado, only 13 percent of kids walk or bike to school, and less than a quarter of Colorado kids have physical education 5 days a week.

Two other factors that largely contribute to childhood obesity are consumption of unhealthy foods and unhealthy drinks, such sugar sweetened beverages (SSBs). Did you know, for example, that an extra soft drink a day increases a child’s risk of becoming obese by 60%? And that drinking one or two cans of soda a day increases risk for diabetes by 26%? Despite these hard facts and many more, Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, and the American Beverage Association have spent at least $106 million to defeat public health initiatives at the federal, state, and local levels since 2009, according to an analysis conducted by the nonprofit Center for Science in the Public Interest.

Less expensive food and drink are oftentimes more accessible and obtainable, but tend to have lower nutritional value. Access to fresh produce can be limited due to higher cost- eating healthy can be expensive! Ensuring all kids have adequate access to healthy food is essential to decreasing obesity in Colorado’s children.

The good news? Childhood obesity can be prevented. Communities, health professionals, and families can work together to create opportunities for kids to eat healthier and get more active. In honor of National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month this September, Jefferson County Public Health encourages your family to make healthy changes together. We all have a role in helping raise awareness around childhood obesity and the contributing factors, because we all have a role in building a healthier Jefferson County for our future generations. Here are some easy, helpful tips to get started:

Get active outside: Walk around the neighborhood, go on a bike ride, or play basketball at the park. There are so many sunny days and great places in Jefferson County to spend outside;
Limit screen time: Keep screen time (time spent on the computer, watching TV, or playing video games) to 2 hours or less a day; and,
Make healthy meals: Buy and serve more vegetables, fruits and whole-grain foods.


Taking small steps as a family and as a community can help our future Jefferson County generations stay happy and healthy. As Jefferson County residents, we have a wealth of open land full of beautiful walking and hiking trails which are a great way to get active. To find out more about our Open Space areas in the County, visit our Open Space page. For more information on childhood obesity rates and health effects, please visit JCPH’s Achieving a Healthier Weight (Obesity Prevention) page. For additional information on how to choose healthy foods and be physically active, please visit the following sites:

www.letsmove.org
www.choosemyplate.ogv
www.naturefind.com
www.letsgo.org

September is Food Safety Month . . .

This year’s National Food Safety Month’s theme is “Let it Flow,” focusing on the flow of food through restaurants.  As restaurant customers, the tasty final product is what meets the eye.   Yet, many steps and procedures from receiving to serving, occur beforehand and behind the scenes to ensure the yummiest and safest meal reaches the table.

To help ensure food is safe when it reaches the customer, Jefferson County Public Health (JCPH) features several effective food safety programs that assist restaurant operators in educating their staff in the importance of food safety.

“Food establishments that consistently demonstrate a commitment to safe food handling and preparation are essential to our goal of reducing the incidence of food-borne illness," says Terri Leichtweis, Senior Environmental Health Specialist and TUFFS coordinator. “We want to recognize the staff and the management of these establishments for their prevention efforts through the Team UP for Food Safety or TUFFS initiative.”

Team Up For Food Safety (TUFFS) is designed to promote excellent food safety practices and give recognition to facilities that value food safety.  The program is voluntary, but it requires that a facility meet certain food safety criteria to qualify for the program. Current List of TUFFS Members. The TUFFS initiative is also intended to help build collaborative, effective partnerships between regulators and the food industry while at the same time, reducing risk factors that cause or contribute to foodborne illness. 

The next time you go out to eat, look for the TUFFS logo on the window or door of participating restaurants and mention it to the staff.   Posting of the TUFFS logo is an indication that the food service establishment is actively engaged in taking control of food safety risk factors and taking necessary actions toward reducing foodborne illness in Jefferson County.

Because everyone has a role in food safety, TUFFS members along with many other restaurant operators also participate in the Jefferson County Food Safety Forum.  The next meeting of the Forum is October 6, 2015 at 2:00 p.m.  This group of restaurant operators and JCPH food safety inspectors meet to discuss current foodborne illness concerns, and strive to improve food safety in Jefferson County. 

For more information on Jefferson County Public Health’s food safety program and food safety education opportunities view our web page or download the Excellence in Food Safety brochure. A convenient online class is also available in 5 languages at www.jeffco.statefoodsafety.com.  

Dear Americans, Eat Your Fruits and Vegetables!

Jefferson County Public Health is continually working to increase knowledge about balanced, healthy diets and active living, beginning very early in life and continuing across the lifespan. Eating a healthy diet full of fruits and vegetables and leading an active lifestyle can drastically improve overall health. For example, did you know that eating more fruits and vegetables can increase a person’s intake of essential nutrients and reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke and some cancers? Plus, fruits and veggies can also help manage body weight, as they are a filling, healthy substitute to other unhealthier and more energy-dense foods. So, then, why are only 13.1% of American adults eating enough fruits (based on the national dietary recommendations) and only 8.9% eating enough vegetables?

Being active and eating healthy is paramount to achieving a healthier weight and minimizing the negative health consequences of being overweight or obese. Spurred by sedentary lifestyles and unhealthy diets, it is now estimated that more than 1/3 of American adults are obese and 17% of all children and adolescents are obese in the United States. New efforts are needed to build consumer desire and demand for fruits and vegetables through more reasonable and competitive pricing, as well as promotion of the associated health benefits of a balanced diet in child care centers, schools, grocery stores, communities and at work.

Are you ready to make some healthy diet changes right away? The American Heart Association includes the following among their tips for increasing daily intake of fruits and vegetables:

§  Fill at least half your plate with fruits and vegetables

§  All produce counts: canned, dried, fresh and frozen

§  Compare food labels on canned, dried and frozen fruits and vegetables and choose the lowest sodium and added sugar content

§  Add a fruit or vegetable salad to lunch or dinner

§  Eat raw vegetable sticks instead of chips

§  Carry dried fruit, such as raisins, dates or dried apricots for snacks

§  Add chopped vegetables like onions, garlic and celery when preparing soup, stew, beans, rice and sauces

For more information on nutrition resources available through JCPH, visit the Nutrition Services and Women, Infants and Children webpage. 

Health Care Access

Jefferson County Public Health encourages all individuals and families to get health insurance. The Affordable Care Act benefits all families by providing a medical home and regular health care visits. Shop for and compare health insurance plans online with Connect for Health Colorado. 

If you are interested in applying for adult only Medicaid, please call the Jefferson County Human Services Department at 303-271-1388. Check out this site for information on how to get your family covered with Medicaid:  https://www.colorado.gov/hcpf/how-to-apply 

If you have children and have applied for Medicaid but have been denied, you may be eligible for Child Health Plan Plus (CHP+). CHP+ can help you get medical care for children ages 18 years and under. There is a small annual fee and co-pays are based on factors such as income and family size. Please call 1-800-359-1991 for more information.

If you are already on Medicaid but need help finding medical, dental, vision or mental health care, contact the Jefferson County Public Health Healthy Communities Program at 303-239-7041. They can help you with available resources.

For more information:

Apply for food, medical and cash assistance programs at Colorado PEAK! or call Human Services at 303-271-1388.

The Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing administers the Medicaid and Child Health Plan Plus programs.

Keep Children Healthy Through Hydration

A newly released study by the Harvard School of Public Health has revealed that more than half of all children and adolescents in the U.S. are not getting enough hydration, most likely because they are not drinking enough water. Water and sufficient hydration is essential for physiological processes such as circulation, metabolism, temperature regulation, and waste removal.

Lack of hydration and water intake can have significant repercussions on a child’s physical and cognitive and emotional functioning abilities. Even mild dehydration can cause health issues such as headaches, irritability, poorer physical performance, and reduced cognitive abilities.

Drinking enough water is extraordinarily important in Colorado, where we live at elevation and the climate is arid, dry and hot during the summer months. Make sure to bring water with you everywhere, and focus on having yourself and your family drink more water—at low-cost, no-calorie beverage—to improve overall health. Improving a child’s hydration status may allow them to feel better in general and do better in school. 

Fall Prevention: Steps older adults can take to reduce their risks for falling

Falls, the leading cause of injury in older adults, can be prevented. Falls in the elderly cost $30 billion yearly to treat and can send them spiraling into poor health and disability. With a growing aging population here in Jefferson County, increased awareness of how to prevent these falls and injuries is important.

These simple tips have been compiled to help our aging Jefferson County population stay safe:

• Exercise, including walking and stretching to improve muscle strength and balance;
• Have the doctor review all medications to check for side effects, doses or drug interactions that could cause dizziness or drowsiness;
• Get yearly vision exams to make sure eyes are healthy and glasses are the proper strength;
• Reduce risks at home including clutter and poor lighting; and install handrails in tubs and showers;
• Limit intake of alcohol, which can affect balance;
• Stand up slowly: Rising too quickly can sometimes result in a sudden drop in blood pressure, causing dizziness;
• Use a cane or walker if needed for steadiness.

Stay safe, balanced, and on your feet this fall!

Resources:

• JCPH Fall Prevention web page
• Denver Metro Area Fall Prevention Network
• Jeffco Human Services Aging Well Project
• National Institute on Aging

Early & Regular Breast Cancer Screenings Saves Lives

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month (NBCAM) and, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS), an estimated 232,340 new cases of breast cancer were diagnosed in women and 2,240 in men in 2013. Routine breast exams are important as early detection of breast cancer saves many thousands of lives each year.

The ACS recommends these general guidelines on what types of tests to have and when to have them:

• Women age 40 and older should have a screening mammogram every year and should continue to do so for as long as they are in good health;
  
• Women in their 20s and 30s should have a clinical breast exam (CBE) as part of a periodic (regular) health exam by a health professional, at least every three years. After age 40, women should have a breast exam by a health professional every year;
  
• Breast self-exam (BSE) is an option for women starting in their 20s. Women should report any breast changes to their health professional right away.
   
• Women at high risk for breast cancer based on certain factors should get an MRI and a mammogram every year. 

Jefferson County Public Health is committed to increasing awareness and providing early detection services within the county. JCPH offers low cost clinical breast exams, Pap tests, and pelvic exams to all Jefferson County women as part of their routine Women’s Wellness Exam. To schedule an appointment at the Lakewood clinic please call (303) 239-7078.

For more information on breast cancer, the risk factors and prevention steps, please visit the American Cancer Society website.