Obesity and Cavity in Owen County.

This summer at the Nutrition Education Program lessons at the Owen County Cooperative Extension Office, two of the eight women, that attended the Nutrition Education Program lessons came to the first and second lesson with large drinks from a local fast-food restaurant, I directed the lesson towards drinks and made emphasis on calories from sugary drinks. 

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Kentucky has the fifth-highest rate of obesity in the nation. About one-third of U.S. adults (33.8 percent) are obese. Approximately 17 percent (or 12.5 million) of children and adolescents ages 2-19 years are obese (Data from the National Health and Examination Survey). During the past 20 years, there has been a dramatic increase in obesity in the United States and rates remain high. 

Overweight and obesity, often caused by poor diet, soft drinks, junk food and inactivity, are significantly associated with an increased risk of diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, asthma, joint problems and poor health status.

At the end of the second lesson one of the women that had the soda, stayed after everybody had gone and started talking about how shocked she was to learn and realized that because she was drinking two 32 oz., drinks every day and sometimes three times, she was overweight and toothless! Almost crying, she said it was her 35th wedding anniversary and that day was the happiest of her life and today she was not very happy, she said that for not knowing that drinking so much soda could cause all that, she just made a poor choice. I told her that it was great that she realizes about it and like 35 years ago today she could make a change in her life again. 

She wanted to know how this Nutrition Education Lessons could help her start the change, I gave her more information about it and she left with a smile and feeling more confident. The next five lessons she always came with a bottle of water instead of soda, said it has not been easy but she is trying hard, and was losing weight too!

And..... that's my success story!