Clay County, Missouri Family Nutrition

Clay County, Missouri is located near the western border of the state, lying north of Kansas City. The population of the county during the 2000 census was 184,000, with 72,500 households. Of those households, 33% had children under the age of 18 residing with them. The county has experienced significant growth in recent years, 20% between the 1990 and 2000 census and 2.5% in the first year after the 2000 census. The median household income is also substantially higher than the state’s at $48,000. The county is part of the Kansas City metropolitan area and contains approximately 9% of Greater Kansas City’s population and 10% of its jobs. Many of the families, who do not work in Clay County, make the short commute to Kansas City for work. The county is also made up of a large rural area that also commutes to the city for employment.

Clay County Health Department, like most health departments across the nation, is looking to address the growing obesity epidemic in our country. One area that we have decided to focus on is family nutrition, which as the term implies includes both parents and their children. Using a two-front approach, we can work with the parents to provide healthy meals to their younger children and to set good examples for their older children. Then we can work with the children and the school districts to ensure the children are eating healthy meals and snacks during the school day. The children can also take their new nutrition knowledge home to their parents, providing additional encouragement for the healthy changes.