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Community Partners Join Forces: Battling Obesity and Diabetes Together

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Abstract

Our objectives was to create an initiative to change the culture of a small community to improve quality of life as it relates to health for the residents through the use of health-related educational sessions, a coordinated fitness and nutrition program, and the construction of community fitness trails. We compared the use of a health-focused community driven program to the status quo in seeking opportunities to improve perception and understanding of one’s health and overall quality of life for participants. Among the various techniques identified to improve a community’s health outcomes, dissemination of information through the use of educational sessions empowered citizens to take control of their health status, and ultimately, their quality of life. This came with zero negative impacts for those providing the education, as well as those participating in the sessions. Although the application of these methods depends on local resources, leadership, and partnerships, programs similar to those presented here can help to improve quality of life for citizens in communities across the country facing the challenges secondary to a sedentary lifestyle.

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Acknowledgments

This project was supported by a grant from the Tennessee Department of Health. We would like to thank the staff at Marcrom’s Pharmacy and Wellness Center for their contribution to data collection for the Lose-to-Win program, Dr. Jordan Wright, Dr. Nicole Nielsen, Dr. Richard Randolph and Joe McKamey, and to Lindsey Safley (PharmD candidate) for her assistance with data interpretation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Lipscomb University College of Pharmacy, One University Park Drive, Nashville, TN, 37204, USA

    Robin Parker & Benjamin Gross

  2. City of Tullahoma Community Development Coordinator, Tullahoma, TN, USA

    Winston Brooks

  3. Marcrom’s Pharmacy and Wellness Center, Manchester, TN, USA

    Jordan Wright

  4. California Health Sciences University College of Pharmacy, Clovis, CA, USA

    Nicole Nielsen

Authors
  1. Robin Parker
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  2. Winston Brooks
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  3. Jordan Wright
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  4. Nicole Nielsen
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  5. Benjamin Gross
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Robin Parker.

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The Lipscomb University Institutional Review Board approved this study.

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Parker, R., Brooks, W., Wright, J. et al. Community Partners Join Forces: Battling Obesity and Diabetes Together. J Community Health 42, 344–348 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-016-0260-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-016-0260-0

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