Chronic Disease Prevention

Project Description

The Chronic Disease Prevention (CDP) program is expanding programming and education to reduce the prevalence and impact of chronic disease-causing risk behaviors in Harris County. This includes offering clinical services, education on tobacco and vaping prevention and cessation, nutrition and physical activity, diabetes prevention, and community incentives.

The mission of this program is to improve the quality of life for Harris County residents while reducing the number of chronic disease-related deaths through targeted and long-term action plans. The CDP program partners with local schools, community centers, and other community-based programs to provide class-based curriculums for Harris County residents to provide information and resources about the risks associated with common chronic diseases as well as strategies for prevention.

PROGRAM GOALS INCLUDE

  • Reducing the prevalence of chronic disease-causing risk behaviors
  • Reaching a diverse range of Harris County residents, including low-income, minority, and high-risk individuals
  • Reducing the healthcare costs associated with chronic diseases

To increase participation and positive responses, classes are culturally sensitive and targeted to specific cultures. Community incentives help promote healthy behaviors and increase access to the tools needed to maintain or improve health. All incentives are provided to participants in conjunction with educational sessions to increase awareness of health behaviors and knowledge of the topics mentioned above.

PRIMARY PARTNERSHIPS

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

Harris County Public Health (HCPH) collaborates with local schools, community centers, and other community-based programs to schedule class-based curriculum and lectures on priority topics to provide the knowledge and resources required to reduce the prevalence of the most common chronic disease risk behaviors.

TARGET IMPACT

Primary metrics tracked include:

  • Number of people receiving at least one CDP program service
  • Number of people receiving pre-diabetes education
  • Number of people receiving nutrition education
  • Number of people receiving tobacco/vaping education

WEBSITE LINK

USE OF EVIDENCE & PROGRAM EVALUATIONS

For the tobacco and vaping program, CDP uses the two evidence-based curriculums; CATCH My Breath and Freedom from Smoking. For Nutrition and Physical Activity programs, CDP utilizes evidence-based curriculums like Eat Play Grow, CATCH, and Cooking Matters to provide targeted nutrition education to people of all ages, including school-aged children, adults, parents, and seniors. The diabetes prevention program uses the CDC evidenced-based curriculum PreventT2, which consists of 24 sessions led by trained Lifestyle Coaches and can be delivered in English or Spanish to accommodate cultural differences. The program targets adults over the age of 18 that have been diagnosed with pre-diabetes.

The CDP target population is Harris County residents who live in priority zip code areas and are uninsured, underinsured or have been determined to be at high risk for chronic diseases. Using the CDC’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) and the 5-year American Community Survey (ACS), the top priority zip code areas were identified. The HCPH Epidemiology team found that obesity, diabetes, hypertension, low physical activity, and social vulnerability index are all more prevalent in these zip code areas. Given the prevalence of risk behaviors, Harris County's chronic disease program has a sizable target population.

PHOTOS