Health Education

Mission

A community coalition dedicated to improving the health and wellbeing of McLennan County residents through collaborative community action, education, and prevention.

6 Categories of Wellness

• Be Well: Chronic Disease self-management and prevention
• Eat Well: Goal is to provide accurate information about food, nutrition & diets
• Play Well: Encouraging physical activity through recreation, exercise & sports
• Think Well: Focused on improving mental health education & educational resources in the community
• Breathe Well: Improve the quality of the air by decreasing exposure to secondhand smoke
• Work Well: Assist employers with providing wellness opportunities for employees

For meeting details & info contact:

Email: livewellwaco@wacotx.gov

Live Well Waco

What is Health360?

Health360 is a diabetes prevention program that helps you take control of your health. The Health360 group meets once-a-week for 1 year.

Benefits of Health360

• Support from a Lifestyle Coach
• Set personal health goal
• Be more physically active
• Lose weight
• Learn how to eat healthier
• Manage stress
• Year-long support

Health360 Graduation January 3, 2023

These ladies stuck with the program for a year with extremely positive results!

• All participants reached a 5-7% weight loss goal
• Found different exercises that they were able to stick with, like walking and Zumba
• Learned how to plan which helped them make healthier decisions not only for themselves, but for their families as well
• One participant lowered her A1C

If you are interested in Health360, please contact Christy Perkins for more information.

What is Create Better Health?

Create Better Health is a 6 to 8 week program for adults who want to learn how to eat well and be active on a budget.

Learn more about:

• Meal planning
• Reading food labels
• Healthy eating patterns
• Physical activity goal setting
• Resistance training
• Injury prevention

For More Information:

Email: healthed@wacotx.gov
Call: (254)750-5431
Sign-up: 
Class Interest Form
Formulario de interés de clase

What is Diabetes?

Diabetes is a group of diseases marked by high levels of blood sugar (blood glucose). If untreated, it can lead to severe complications, including death. However, those with diabetes can live a long, healthy life if they take steps to control it.

How Common is It?

United States - 20.8 million Americans have diabetes

Texas - 940,000 or 8% of persons in Texas have diabetes

McLennan County - 13% of persons in McLennan County have diabetes. The 2013 Community Assessment showed 23% of households have a family member living with diabetes, up from 18.6% in 2010.

Types of Diabetes

• Type 1
• Type 2
• Gestational Diabetes
• Pre-diabetes

How Can I Tell if I am at Risk?

• Age: 45 years or older
• Genetics: Family history of diabetes (parent or sibling)
• Race/ethnicity: Being of a minority group
• Lifestyle: Being overweight, not getting much exercise
• Health Conditions/Health History: High blood pressure or high cholesterol, diabetes during pregnancy (gestational diabetes), or having a baby weighing more than 9 lbs. at birth

What Are Some of the Signs and Symptoms?

• Frequent urination
• Fatigue
• Numbness and tingling of feet
• Blurred vision
• Always thirsty
• Always hungry
• Unexplained weight loss
• Sexual dysfunction
• Sores that take a long time to heal
• Recurring bladder, vaginal, and skin infections
• Irritability
• Tingling or loss of feeling in hands or feet
• Very Dry Skin

How Serious is Diabetes?

Diabetes was the 6th leading cause of death in 2002. Every day there are 810 deaths from diabetes complications. If uncontrolled it can lead to:

• Nerve Damage (neuropathy)
• Heart and Blood Vessel Disease
• Erectile dysfunction
• Blindness (retinopathy)
• Kidney Failure (nephropathy)
• Foot ulcers
• Gum disease
• Depression

Can I Prevent Diabetes?

Research shows that losing 5-10% of your body weight and being moderately active 30 minutes for 5 days a week can cut your risk of developing diabetes by 60%.

Order Materials

Texas Department of State Health Services

Texas Quitline Can Help Tobacco Users Quit!

The state’s Quitline is ready to take calls from people looking for help to quit that habit.

The Texas Department of State Health Services encourages people who are ready to quit, or are thinking about quitting, to seek assistance and advice by calling the Texas Quitline at 1-877-YES QUIT or visiting www.yesquit.org. Quitline services are available in English and Spanish.

Callers to the Quitline, which uses the American Cancer Society’s Quit for Life Program, receive free, confidential counseling services and personalized tools and strategies from trained professionals to help them quit. The www.yesquit.org website has tips, success stories, motivational videos and an online community of people dedicated to quitting and encouraging others to stick to it. People can create an online quitting plan that helps them take steps toward a tobacco-free life.
The Texas Quitline was first offered in 2001 and serves about 10,000 people a year. The U.S. Public Health Service’s clinical practice guidelines say that Quitline counseling can more than double a smoker’s chances of quitting.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable and premature death in the United States.

Additional Facts:

• More than 24,000 Texans die from smoking or exposure to secondhand smoke each year.
• In the United States, nearly 1 in 5 deaths is attributed tobacco use.
• Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the United States for men and women, and 90 percent of lung cancer cases are attributed to smoking.

Source: Department of State Health Services

Additional Resources:

Sign up for Smokefree TXT by subscribing at www.smokefree.gov/smokefretxt.
Smokefree TXT is a mobile text messaging service designed for adults across the United States who are trying to quit smoking. The program was created to provide 24/7 encouragement, advice, and tips to help smokers quit smoking and stay quit.

Talk to an Expert:

For help from the National Cancer Institute: 1-800-44U-QUIT
For help from the State of Texas Quitline: 1-800-QUIT-NOW

Online Resources:

Smokefree.gov – www.smokefree.gov
American Lung Association – www.lung.org
American Cancer Society – www.cancer.org

Online Resources for Smokeless Tobacco:

Kill the Can – www.killthecan.org
Quit Smokeless – www.quitsmokless.org