Chester County Medicine Winter 2019 - 26

www.CHESTERCMS.org

Reducing Barriers in Accessing Maternal
and Child Healthcare
continued from page 25
many low-income individuals do not, or often cannot make the
necessary lifestyle changes and incorporate them into their lives.
Poverty, low education attainment levels, language barriers, lack of
health insurance and access to healthcare cause forks in the road
and healthy lifestyle changes are difficult to maintain.
In a world full of so many unhealthy temptations, it is difficult
to lead a healthy lifestyle if one does not have a strategic plan in
action or the knowledge accessible to them. MCHC's program
instills the idea that good physical activity and a healthy diet
are key factors in reducing the risk of developing many chronic
diseases and furthers the main goal of the program-prevention.
MCHC's approach to educating their target participant, the
mother (and their partners) during home visits, makes it much
easier for other members of the family, especially children, to join
in healthier eating and exercising, due to a 'halo effect.' The first
year full year program results collected by MCHC's CHWs speak
volumes. This past year, 120 mothers along with an additional 257
family members received education sessions during home visits.
A majority of participants initially did not score the minimum
70% score on the knowledge pretest. However, at the end of the
program 91% of participants scored at least 70% or higher. Of
individuals participating, the levels of BMI at intake indicated
15% of participants had normal weight, 51% were overweight
and 33% were obese and 1% extremely obese. At the end of the
first year, during the post-test, the levels of BMI changed to 13%
(decrease of 2%) with normal weight, 63% (increase of 12% )
overweight, 24% (decrease of 9%) obese, and there were not any
extremely obese participants (decrease of 1%). Physical activity
decreased weekly for 7.5% of participants, 35% maintained at
least 90 minutes per week, and 58% of the participants increased
their weekly time of exercising. Once participants gained a better
understanding of how to prevent and manage diabetes and heart
disease, changes in BMI levels and increased activities resulted in
measurable changes, including weight loss and changes in eating
and exercise habits, charting them on a path for healthier living.
The mission of MCHC is to empower families to build
a healthier, brighter future for their children by overcoming
the social and environmental barriers that lead to poor health
conditions in our communities. Founded in 1991, MCHC

1

provides its core programs, Healthy Start, Family Benefits and
Family Center programs and supporting services that reduce
barriers to accessing health insurance coverage and food stability
programs and ensures access to healthcare, reduces health
disparities to ensure healthy pregnancies and births, and provides
parenting skills and early childhood learning and development to
prepare children for school and build strong, healthy families who
may thrive and grow. In 2017, over 5,000 mothers, children, their
family members and members of the community across Chester
County and in Pottstown, Montgomery County participated
in MCHC's programs and services. MCHC's Diabetes and
Heart Disease Education Program was integrated initially into
MCHC's home-visiting programs in 2017 with funding from
The Edna G. Kynett Memorial Foundation, which help to start
the program to serve all five of MCHC's Healthy Start locations.
Other generous funders now include the Longwood Foundation,
Janssen Biotech, Inc., and most recently Jack and Jill of America
Foundation funding the education program specifically in the
Coatesville community, and funding provided by the Pennsylvania
Department of Human Services' Health Program Assistance and
Services Appropriation Grant for Chester County families. For
more information on MCHC's program and services please visit
our website at www.ccmchc.org.

Increased weight and decreased minutes in activity per week are attributed to pregnant women participating in the program for who these goals are not targeted.

26 CHESTER COUNT Y Medicine | WINTER 2019
http://www.chestercms.org http://www.ccmchc.org
Chester County Medicine Winter 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Chester County Medicine Winter 2019
