Grant Funds Program To Address Childhood Obesity in Contra Costa County
Contra Costa County will implement a program to address obesity among county children using a $50,000 grant from the California HealthCare Foundation, the Oakland Tribune reports. About 40% of low-income children in the county are obese or are at risk of becoming obese, according to the Tribune.
The program, called Have Fun and Be Healthy, will include a Web site, materials and training sessions for about 300 county health care workers. The training sessions began Monday and will run through May.
The program is intended to promote healthy lifestyle changes, including more nutritious eating habits and physical exercise. The program will emphasize discussions between health care providers and low-income families who use county health clinics.
Sally McFalone, a public health program specialist, said the program will help health care providers learn to address obesity and refer patients to existing services.
According to the Tribune, county officials expect the program to be a "starting point" and say that it could change over time (Johnson, Oakland Tribune, 4/5).