Everyday, individuals make choices about what they eat, how active they are, whether they will use tobacco, and how they manage chronic illness.  To promote healthy choices, two strategies are most effective: supportive policies and environments that facilitate a healthy lifestyle.

"It is unreasonable to expect people to change their behavior easily, when so many forces in the social, cultural, and physical environment conspire against such change" -National Institutes of Medicine

Welcome to Black Hawk County, Iowa

Black Hawk County is home to more than 128,000 individuals, including the greatest percentage of African Americans in the state and significant Hispanic and Bosnian newcomer populations.  The county is comprised of 9 incorporated cities, 6 unincorporated towns, and 17 townships.  90% of the population is urban.  The county benefits from the presence of multiple institutions of higher education, including a state university, community college, and 3 private colleges and universities.  Five public school districts and 7 private school districts serve an estimated 30,000 students annually.  The largest school district, Waterloo Community Schools (WCS), serves over 10,500 students each year.  In 2008-2009, minority students accounted for 40% of total WCS enrollments, 24 languages were spoken by its students, and the district served 784 English Language Learners.  

A Local Epidemic

In 2008-2009, an estimated 48% of students in the Waterloo Community Schools were either overweight or obese.  In just 7 years, this represents a more than 13 percentage point increase in overweight or obese children.

Significant disparities also exist:

• In the map above, oranges and reds indicated higher levels of childhood obesity.  Geographic disparities in obesity correspond with areas of lower socioeconomic status and increased diversity.
• In 2008-2009, 53% of African Americans were identified as overweight or obese, compared to 45% of Caucasians.  Among girls, a 12 percentage point difference separated African Americans from their Caucasian peers.

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