Almost 80 percent of Local Health Screening Participants Overweight
Posted
Staff Report-
For the first time, the Kosciusko Community YMCA and the Northern Indiana Hispanic Health Coalition partnered to offer a health fair Oct. 1 from 8 a.m. to noon.
At 7 a.m., nurses, senior nursing students from Grace College, and volunteers began arriving to assist the gathered crowd in the lobby waiting to receive free health screenings. NIHHC and the YMCA together were able to serve almost 100 community members and provide 670 no-cost health screenings. The screenings offered included cholesterol, BMI, glucose, blood pressure, HIV and for those who fasted for 12 hours, a Lipid Panel. The A1C screening was also offered to the diabetic community members.
This health clinic was free of cost and open to everyone of any ethnicity. The screenings were initially limited to the first 80 people, however, they were able to exceed their expectations and serve more.
Some of the results will guide both agencies to provide support to the community to improve their health. For example, 77 percent of the participants were overweight, obese, with 10 percent being morbidly obese. Twenty-two percent of the participants who were tested for triglycerides showed levels more than 200 (which may be at risk of developing heart diseases). Thirty-seven percent were at border line of glucose levels and 16 percent showed levels over the borderline (which may be at risk of developing diabetes).
Not only did YMCA members and Warsaw residents take advantage of this health fair, there were participants who drove from other cities such as Fort Wayne, Winona Lake, Milford, Pierceton, Leesburg and Elkhart to take advantage of this event.
Sue Castellanos, one of the nurses who was explaining results, said, “This was a great experience, I am tired but I enjoyed each moment working for the community, I didn’t know that there is so much need in this area.”
Maria, one of the participants, said, “I appreciate that you are offering the A1C. I am diabetic but I can’t afford this screening every three months, now I can share the results with my doctor.”
The mission of the Northern Indiana Hispanic Health Coalition is to provide preventative healthcare programs to the community through education, advocacy, physician referrals, research, and the building of leadership among Hispanics, so that they may lead healthier lifestyles.
Melding with that mission, one of the Y’s areas of focus is healthy living and improving the nation’s health and well-being by providing resources and guidance to maintain or improve health.
If you would like to request more information, contact NIHHC at 887-217-2583, or YMCA at 574-269-9622.
