Chester County Medicine Winter 2019 - 25

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and services. This past year MCHC's community workshops
reached nearly 200 additional individuals, with workshop series
held in West Chester, Coatesville and Kennett Square. All
participants, both home visiting and group workshop, complete
a pre and post test to measure changes in knowledge, exercise and
activity, and BMI and weight changes. Participants also receive
pedometers, review their food intake logs, participate in cooking
demonstrations, review sample menus and recipes, and share
experiences and provide feedback on their monthly nutrition and
exercise goals.

exercise. Her CHW noticed during home visits that often there
were unhealthy snacks, such as cookies and chips, which the family
would snack on in a jar on the kitchen counter.
Unaware of the harm that food high in calories, cholesterol,
sugar, and fat has on the body, especially in those already
suffering from high cholesterol levels, she was not looking at
nutritional labels before purchasing food. "They really did not
understand what high cholesterol and diabetes were and how
to go about starting to make changes, especially with limited
resources like many of the families we serve," said Cecilia Arce,
MCHC's Director Programs who oversees the Diabetes and Heart
Disease Prevention education program. "During home visits
our CHWs are able to get a more concrete grasp of participants'
levels of diabetes and chronic disease knowledge through our
comprehensive health assessments and by conducting the CDC
Diabetes Prevention pre-test completed when participants enroll
in our home visiting programs. This helps our CHWs to better
understand our participants' levels of knowledge and pinpoint
specific areas for education and awareness opportunities during
the sessions provided at home visits," added Arce. Focused on
prevention, the modules delivered at home visits and in the
workshops include talking points for persons who are overweight,
heart health tips, fat and calorie education, and guidance for
reading Nutrition Facts labels. With a hands-on curriculum
adapted from the National Heart and Lung and Blood Institute
and the CDC Diabetes Prevention Program, educational
materials also include the USDA's My Plate and The American
Heart Association's "Life's Simple 7" in order to provide simple,
straightforward, and helpful guidelines to follow. CHWs educate
participants on diabetes and heart disease risk factors and track
grams of fat and calories, physical activity, body weight, healthy
dietary patterns, normal values for blood pressure, cholesterol,
blood sugar, and BMI, and specific nutritional needs of children.
Interactive education workshops, another strategy for
MCHC to reach more at-risk individuals in the communities
they serve, provides a series of sessions for participant's extended
family members and participants of MCHC's other programs

Participants also learn the importance of lowering intakes of
food rich in saturated fats, trans-fats, added sugars, and sodium,
and began to gain a higher understanding of preventing and
managing different types of chronic diseases, choosing healthier
foods to add to their family's diet, and increasing weekly levels of
exercise. CHWs teach participants how to read Nutrition Facts
labels, stressing the importance of buying more fresh produce
and less processed snack foods. "We actually see the food our
participants have in their refrigerators and cupboards. We can see
the changes as our families become more aware, such as bowls
of fruit on their tables instead of a package of cookies," said Arce
when speaking about the changes they see in the nutrition habits
of their participants.
This particular Latino mother and her family's story is just one
example of the hundreds struggling to access the healthcare and
culturally and linguistically appropriate health education needed
to take charge of their health and the health and well-being of
their children and families. While she was able to lose six pounds
through changes she made, her husband is still working to make
changes to manage his diabetes. She now feels she is in a better
position with an increased understanding and activities to help
support her husband's condition and encourage him to work
towards a healthier lifestyle. She has also been able to impress upon
her young daughters the benefits of healthy eating and exercise,
telling her CHW how her children are choosing healthy vegetables
and increasing their daily activities.
Many low-income, vulnerable minority populations struggle
with understanding their health risks and conditions and do not
have the opportunity to engage in health education programs such
as this one offered by MCHC in Chester County. More prone
to chronic conditions, research shows that minority populations,
specifically, Latino and African Americans, are at greater risk
for obesity, cardiovascular disease, and Diabetes Type 2, due to
social, environmental, and behavioral factors. Nationally, there is
a higher prevalence of obesity in Latinos and African Americans,
21.9% and 19.5% respectively compared to 14.7% for nonHispanic whites. MCHC's Diabetes and Heart Disease Prevention
education program specifically targets these minority mothers and
families who are at a greater risk of later developing diabetes and
cardiovascular disease.
Although it has been proven that physical activity and diet can
reduce the risk of developing chronic diseases such as coronary
artery disease, hypertension, diabetes, and the metabolic syndrome,
continued on next page >
WINTER 2019 | CHESTER COUNT Y Medicine 25
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Chester County Medicine Winter 2019

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