Story in Brief
Both obesity and being overweight contribute to the development of cardiovascular disease, hypertension, diabetes, cancer and other chronic diseases. If people who are overweight would lose between 5 to 7 percent of their body weight and exercise 20 to 25 minutes each day for five or more days a week, about 60 percent of those at risk for developing diabetes would not develop this disease. So the UGA Family and Consumer Sciences agent in Richmond County partnered with the Salvation Army's Kroc Center to teach the Women's Life Skills program promoting dietary change and increase in physical activity to control weight for 98 low-income women. About 96 percent of the class participants said the workshops helped them to make healthy food choices and have changed their eating habits.