Obesity is a main chronic health condition of concern in Transylvania County. Our top two causes of death and many of our morbidity statistics including type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, certain cancers, and stroke are directly affected by nutrition and physical activity. Residents report having trouble accessing healthy food and getting the recommended amount of physical activity.

• 70.6% of county residents are overweight or obese
• 29.5% of county residents are obese
• 32.2% of children ages 2-4 are overweight or obese
• 20% of county residents reported no leisure-time physical activity
• 23% of county residents met physical activity recommendations
• 6% of county residents reported consuming 5+ servings of fruit and vegetables per day (down from 14% in 2018)

Partners in our Community Health Improvement Process: 

• Blue Zones Project - Brevard
• Transylvania County Parks and Recreation
• Hunger Coalition of Transylvania County 
• WNC Healthy Impact

Partners with a Role in Helping Our Community Do Better on This Issue: 

• MANNA, Sharing House, Bread of Life, food pantries
• Hendersonville Pediatrics
• Local physicians
• Transylvania Regional Hospital: cardiac rehab, congregate meal program
• City of Brevard
• Transylvania County Parks and Recreation
• Transylvania County Library
• Boys & Girls Club, Rise & Shine, other youth-serving organizations
• Schools
• Large employers
• Local gyms
• Grocery stores
• Restaurants

The following actions have been identified by our team and community members as ideas that can work in our community to make a difference on improving obesity.

Actions and Approaches Identified by Our Partners These are actions and approaches that our partners think can make a difference on obesity.

• Healthier food choices for students while at school and out of school (after-school programs like Rise and Shine and Boys and Girls Club, and backpack buddies)
• Healthier options in childcare settings to meet nutritional needs and establish healthy habits
• Education and demonstrations to improve food knowledge and cooking skills
• Access to community gardens
• Support local sourcing of produce
• Access to fresh produce at food pantries
• Complete streets, including bike lanes and multi-use paths
• Access to parks, playgrounds, and recreation centers
• Affordable access to gyms, fitness classes, and sports teams
• Social support for walking or physical activity

What is Currently Working in Our Community These are actions and approaches that are currently in place in our community to make a difference on mental health.

• Blue Zones Project - Brevard strategies on food policy and built environment 
• County policy around fast food and dollar stores
• Access to playgrounds, muti-use paths, trails for hiking and biking
• Community gardens
• Library programs that include physical activity classes and resources
• Meal kits from Hunger Coalition and Bread of Life
• Fresh produce at food pantries and mobile markets
• Local physicians promoting healthy lifestyles/diets
• Physical activity and gardening at Boys & Girls Club, El Centro, Rise and Shine

Evidence-Based Strategies These are actions and approaches that have been shown to make a difference on obesity.

Process for Selecting Priority Strategies

The Transylvania County CHA team worked with community members to better understand the story and root causes behind mental health concerns and identify potential strategies including evidence-based strategies, what is working in other communities, and ideas generated by people who are most affected by the issues. Public health staff met with the Blue Zones Project – Brevard food policy committee, the Hunger Coalition of Transylvania County, and other concerned community members to select strategies based on feasibility, impact, alignment with community values, and focus on addressing one or more root causes. Public health staff also worked with project leadership to help develop performance measures to help us know if people are better off because of the implementation efforts and will be involved in evaluating ongoing implementation efforts and making changes when needed.