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Cayuga Counts: Calories and Steps
Another Leadership Cayuga 2008 class project created a path to healthy living for our county residents.
With an estimated 44% of Cayuga County Residents being classified as overweight or obese, the Leadership Cayuga Class of 2008 developed a weight loss initiative designed to promote a balanced, healthier lifestyle and assist with achieving and maintaining a healthy weight. We call this initiative Cayuga Counts: Calories and Steps.
Without question, there is a wide range of causes for weight gain and obesity. Genetics, certain diseases or medicines, hormones, and even viruses can cause weight gain. Smoking cessation is often linked to weight gain. A recent University of Alabama study even claimed to see a correlation between sleep deprivation, pollution, air conditioning, and giving birth at an older age and obesity! But the root cause of weight gain and obesity in most instances is the consumption of more calories than the body needs – by eating a diet high in fat and calories, living a sedentary lifestyle or both.
Recognizing that healthy eating, nutrition and exercise are key components of weight control; Cayuga Counts was designed with three key components:
1) Cable Access Show with accompanying brochures with healthy tips and recipes. This bi-weekly media presence will reach every population.
2) Passport to Health Program geared to create healthy families, highlights community fitness opportunities.
3) Historic Walking Map. By revising existing walking tours in the city and neighboring towns, residents and visitors can “walk through history” and improve their quality of life along the way.
Cayuga Counts (Calories and Steps) Proposal: Cable Access for Healthy Living
With obesity on the rise, the project team felt that one crucial step was to inform and educate County Residents about the importance of obtaining and maintaining a healthy weight. To achieve this goal, Cayuga Counts plans a simple media blitz designed to attract attention and generate interest. A month long campaign of weekly newspaper ads with the same message will appear in every local paper.
The Cayuga Counts Cable Access television show will review the obesity crisis, the causes and health risks, and the importance of obtaining and maintaining a healthy weight. The program will then describe the Cayuga Counts Weight Loss Initiative: the cable access show and accompanying brochures, the Passport to Health, and the Historic Walking Tour.
The cable access show should air biweekly. Each show would be divided into three segments: a success story and profile of a weight loss program or technique, a cooking segment with a healthy recipe, and a fitness segment, highlighting either one of the items on the Passport to Health or one of the routes on the historic walking tour map. A biweekly brochure could act as a companion to the television show. The brochure will contain highlights from the show, including the featured recipe, before and after photos of the success story, and the fitness tip as well as a nutrition tip, web resources, and other information that was mentioned but not detailed in the television show. The brochure will be available in both e-mail and print versions.
Two other biweekly brochures should also be created: one designed specifically for children and a brochure especially for working mothers. As the program progresses, other brochures may be developed if a new target group (for example, senior citizens, diabetics, men) with a great deal of interest in the program is identified.
Cayuga Counts (Calories and Steps): Passport to Health
Over 15% of children in Cayuga County are overweight, and statistics indicate that the trend is toward an increase, not a decrease in that number going forward. Cayuga Counts hopes to reverse that trend by encouraging families to engage in healthy activities together. The Passport is a small card with 18 healthy ideas that can be implemented by the whole family. The tips range from nutritional guidance such as “Eat fruit as a snack” to suggested fitness activities like “Go ice skating at Fair Haven Park or Casey Park.” There is a box next to each item so parents can track their family’s progress.
The Passport to Health is portable and can be easily folded and carried in a wallet. It would fit well in the glove box of the family van, or could be hung on the refrigerator with a magnet. A new Passport to Health will be issued quarterly throughout the duration of the Program to encourage active participation in a wide range of activities.
Cayuga Counts: Walking through History
Walking is a fun, natural way to add physical activity to your daily life. The Cayuga Counts project team decided to combine one of our favorite Leadership Cayuga segments (History) with this healthy activity. The team revised a map of historic places in Auburn to include walking routes and the approximate number of steps within each route. This fun tool provides participants with the ability to learn more about our community while engaging in a healthy activity. Future maps will include walking routes through state parks and other villages.
Cayuga Counts: An Innovative Program with Expansion Opportunities
Cayuga Counts: Calories and Steps is an innovative weight loss initiative designed to provide a wealth of opportunities. The Cable Access Show has the potential to provide a great deal of exposure for the program, and will allow the program to explore a vast array of topics. The brochures will complement the show with a wealth of information, and can be tailored to any target population. By changing the Passport to Health quarterly, there will always be new and different family activities and tips, and periodically providing new walking route maps will also help participants remain interested and motivated. Using these tools, Cayuga Counts can be expanded in many directions and will serve our county well for many years to come.
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