Abstract
Problem Significance: Obesity is a common, costly, and serious chronic health condition characterized by excessive fat cells in the body (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, 2022). In San Joaquin County, 36% of adults experienced obesity, which is the highest rate among its neighboring counties like Sacramento (30%) and Stanislaus (32%) (County Health Rankings, 2021). Some groups are disproportionately affected including women of color and families in low-income households. If left unaddressed, obesity can lead to other severe chronic health conditions such as diabetes and heart disease (Norwich University Online, 2021). Communities with high unemployment and poverty rate are more likely to develop obesity because of food insecurity.
Analysis and Objectives: ZIP code 95205 in Stockton, CA is at a higher risk of developing obesity due to food insecurity. Food insecurity is a major risk factor for obesity that disrupts people’s ability to consume healthy food options. San Joaquin County has a lower rate of adults consuming the recommended servings of fruits and vegetables than other counties in the state (City of Stockton, 2017). The main concern related to the low consumption of vegetables among Stockton residents is the lack of knowledge about the proper utilization of vegetables. This project aims to increase the number of families who have healthy eating patterns and increase the number of parents who can properly utilize vegetables in ZIP code 95205.
Intervention (Solution) Proposal: The proposed intervention of this project is to implement a mobile 2-day health education intervention in ZIP code 95205, targeting parents with at least one child aged 5-13 years who are currently unemployed or have a low income.
Recommendations and Conclusions: Successful implementation of the intervention will require substantial funding, community participation, and partnership with other organizations. Some of the strengths of this project include its convenience, scope of participants, relevancy, and timeliness. Due to time constraints related to the capstone, a further assessment might need to be done in terms of examining the resources available and the readiness level of the community.