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SICK & WELL
HEALTH CARE
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PROMOTING
HEALTHY LIVING
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PREVENTING
DISEASE
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ABOUT US
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Healthy Lifestyle Choices
Many Health Department employees participate in promoting healthy choices. Health Department employees
participate in individual-based programs to enhance the health of pregnant and postpartum women and their
infants, including Health Promotion Specialists,
Maternal Outreach Services,
Child Care Coordinators, the
Newborn Post-partum Home Visit nurse,
WIC nutritionists and Clinic Nurses. Health Promotion Specialists also assist
MESH and Clinic Nurses in preventing the spread of
HIV through awareness of risk, safer behaviors, HIV/
STI (Sexually Transmitted Infection) testing and
referral. Many healthy lifestyle choices are supported by changes in policies, procedures and environmental
change. Health Promotion Specialists support policies and environmental changes that encourage healthy
behaviors such as tobacco-free schools, building sidewalks or marking heart healthy menu items at schools.
Environmental Health Specialists also
encourage healthy lifestyle behaviors with policies and education on handwashing, food handling, and safety surrounding
needle use or tattoo parlors.
All educators at Wilkes County Health Department are available for programs on these health-related topics with
community groups, churches and synagogues, businesses, civic clubs, individuals, youth groups, work sites,
service agencies and other interested groups. Additional services include developing and marketing health
promotion and risk reduction activities; consulting with other health professionals; and collaborating with other
agencies to implement policy and environmental changes within the community.
Health Promotion
Health Promotion supports programs to encourage healthy lifestyles and healthy behaviors. The main goal is
to address environmental and policy-level interventions that enhance cardiovascular health and reduce the risk
of chronic diseases by focusing on proper nutrition, increased physical activity and tobacco cessation and
prevention.
Physical Activity
Regular physical activity of at least moderate intensity and practiced on five or more days of the week, reduces
the risk of developing coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, colon cancer, and diabetes – some of the
leading causes of illness and death in the United Sates. Regular physical activity can improve health and reduce
the risk of premature death.
Wilkes County Health Department has been working with several different groups to increase the number and
amount of time people are spending being physically active in the county. The Health Department helps support
the annual Walk For Will. The event’s purpose is to raise money for a granite marker along the
Yadkin River Greenway in memory of Will Bryant
and to encourage people to use the new trail. The Health Department also worked with Historic Downtown North
Wilkesboro and other partners to place a granite marker system into the sidewalks of North Wilkesboro that
point people in the right direction and county their mileage for city-based exercise routes. Finally, the Health
Department played a role in helping the
Humane Society of Wilkes create the
Hidden Oaks Dog Park in Wilkesboro which now provides people and their pets with a place to exercise. For more
fitness options, look them up in the Fitness and Nutrition for Disease Prevention Task Force’s on-line
fitness resource! Or use online
resources can also help you adjust your lifestyle for a healthier body. You can calculate your
daily calorie expenditures by the
amount of physical activity you do in a day. For more information, please call (336) 651-7450.
Nutrition
Eating well is a part of overall wellness, weight management, cardiovascular health, and the prevention
of diseases such as cancer, osteoporosis, and diabetes. In addition to the clinical
nutrition support Wilkes County Health
Department offers, especially for those with diabetes, the Health Department also offers programs in proper
nutrition and weight management. The Health Department is using these classes with area businesses
specifically to improve food choices made while at work.
To help you change your food choices for a healthy lifestyles, we have online resources can also help you
adjust your lifestyle for a healthier body. You can perform a
dietary analysis of all the foods you
eat in a day. For more information on general nutrition contact The
American Dietetic Association, or contact your local
Cooperative Extension Service. For more information,
please call (336) 651-7450.
Tobacco Cessation and Prevention
There are growing numbers of
tobacco-free school campuses,
restaurants and businesses
around the state. Wilkes County Health Department is joining efforts with Wilkes County Schools in working
towards adopting a 100% Tobacco-Free School policy. Each year, the equivalent of 950 classrooms of NC
students will become tobacco users. In North Carolina, 36% of high school students currently use tobacco
products – a rate higher than the national average. More than a third of all kids who try tobacco will become
regular daily users before they leave high school. In addition, permitting tobacco on school campuses
increases exposure to secondhand smoke.
Research shows tobacco use rates among youth decline 20% - 40% in schools with a consistently
enforced, 100% tobacco-free school policy in place. The Wilkes County Schools System is
working to adopt a 100% Tobacco-Free School District beginning with the 2006/07 school year.
We are working to establish school-based youth groups within the area’s four high schools to help in
these efforts. In addition, we are working to establish tobacco cessation programs within each
school to provide education, support, and counseling for those individuals needing help in quitting
tobacco or learning how to deal with the tobacco-free policy.
Cardiovascular Health
Heart disease remains the nation’s leading killer and is the largest contributor to premature illness.
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) directly related to more than 40% of deaths in the United States and
indirectly related to a large percentage of additional deaths. The disease progresses according to each
individual’s level of risk factors. The more risk factors you have – the greater chance you’ll have of
developing and dying from cardiovascular disease. Most risk factors for CVD can be controlled. Not
smoking, eating right, maintaining a healthy body weight, and exercising regularly can protect you
from developing CVD. For more information, please call (336) 651-7450.
Sexual Health Behaviors
Sexual health is an
important aspect of an individual's health. Education is essential in maintaining reproductive
health. The Health Promotion Specialists are committed to providing the community with
information to make informed decisions. For more information, please call (336) 651-7450.
Car Seat Safety
Car seats can be installed or checked most days at the Health Department through the
Injury Prevention initiative.
Recalled seats may be able to be replaced through Safe Kids. Call in advance to make sure someone
trained will be available. For more information, please call (336) 651-7450.
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