Jennifer Eggleton from OSU Extension Fayette County has announced that the extension has received funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to implement the first year of a five-year High Obesity Program, or HOP.
CDC’s HOP program funds land grant universities like the the local extension in mostly rural counties where more than 40% of adults have obesity.
Obesity is associated with poorer mental health outcomes and reduced quality of life. People with obesity are at a greater risk for other chronic diseases including diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and some types of cancer. Through this important HOP work, the extension can help decrease the effects of obesity and improve the lives of people throughout Fayette County, according to a news release.
Here in Fayette County, obesity affects 44.8% of adults
OSU Extension Fayette County will work with cooperative extensions and local communities to implement proven public health strategies for:
– Food and nutrition security through food service and nutrition guidelines, plus fruit and vegetable vouchers and produce prescriptions
– Safe and accessible physical activity
– Early care and education, or ECE, settings.
“These strategies will address the health disparities we have in these counties related to poor nutrition, physical inactivity, and obesity,” the news release states.
Eggleton has four years of experience working with SNAP-Ed in Greene and Fayette County, and she is passionate about improving nutrition in the community. During her time with SNAP-Ed, she successfully started an online cooking class for teens as well as implementing several Policy, System and Environmental (PSE) projects to increase local food use and nutrition education.
Her efforts to identify and implement educational programs with community partners and implement PSE changes increased community reach by 89%. Eggleton received her undergrad degree from Ohio University and her master’s degree from Ohio State University in agriculture communication education and leadership.
She has extensive knowledge of program-related curriculum and state and national standards and policies. Eggleton lives in Fayette County with her husband, Brian, and their twin daughters, Annabelle and Emma. In her free time, she enjoys watching the girls play soccer, gardening, and spending time with the cats and chickens.
She said she’s excited to implement the HOP project in Fayette County.
