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Unit 9 Assignment: Final Project

Brooke Ballinger

Purdue University Global

HW410 Stress-Critical Issues in Management and Prevention

Dr. Estrada

May 23, 2023

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Unit 9 Assignment: Final Project

The women of the community of Newport News, VA have high rates of obesity and poor

health outcomes. However, they have 100% access to healthy opportunities, according to county

reports (CountyHealthRankings&Roadmaps, 2020). This discrepancy could be due to high stress

levels at home, not leading them to have time or energy to want to exercise. This program aims

to change this narrative by providing accessible workshops for these women to attend to

maintain a healthy lifestyle, by reducing life’s stressors.

Explained Stressors

Many people living in the U.S. experience daily stressors that contribute negatively

towards their health. It is found that 77% of Americans experience physical issues to their bodies

from stress related incidents (APA, 2007). 43% of these people say that they handle stress

through unhealthy behaviors by eating unhealthy foods, binging television shows, smoking, or

drinking (APA, 2007). To say that many Americans deal with stress negatively is an

understatement. Some of these stressors can include financial obligations, managing work and

family conflicts, not finding enough personal time, or arguments with friends or family (APA,

2007).

With these stressors in mind, it's important to consider why many Americans face these

stressors everyday. For the county of Newport News, data shows that those living in the county

have some of the highest rates of alcohol use, smoking use, obesity rates, poverty, and being

uninsured in the state (CountyHealthRankings&Roadmaps, 2020). This is all directly correlated

to stress. Those who live in poverty and have limited access to healthcare, tend to develop

unhealthy behaviors due to access and stress in an attempt to cope with certain living situations.
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Stressor Importance

Managing these stressors is so important. Without proper knowledge on how to manage

stress, it can lead to detrimental effects on our health. When we are stressed, the body tightens up

and muscles become tight in an attempt to protect the body (APA, 2023). With chronic stress,

this tightness in the body can lead to headaches, TMJ, and muscle tension in the neck, shoulders,

or hips (APA, 2023).

In the cardiovascular and respiratory systems, stress can show up as shortness of breath,

blood circulation issues, and inflammation (APA, 2023). When the body is under acute stress or

chronic stress, it causes stress hormones to release which are not beneficial to the body. The

heart rate increases, pumping blood to other parts of the body in heavy amounts, which then

increases blood pressure (APA, 2023). This constant cycle can wreak havoc on our bodies. This

constant stress response can continue to increase blood pressure and inflammation in the body,

which can lead to stroke or heart attack (APA, 2023).

With this data, we are able to see that stress is not just a mental or emotional issue. Stress

contributes to physical ailments as well that can lead to very poor health outcomes. The county

of Newport News, VA has high levels of stress due to poverty levels, uninsured family data, and

high risks of developing unhealthy behaviors. With these in mind, it shows that Newport News is

an overall unhealthy county that could use assistance with stress coping mechanisms and

changing unhealthy behaviors to healthy ones.

Program Descriptions

The program that will be pitched to this community will be an exercise program that is

targeted towards the women of Newport News. Data shows that the women of Newport News

score the highest in obesity rates and stress levels when compared to men and children
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(CountyHealthRankings&Roadmaps, 2020). This program will aim to help them develop healthy

habits to manage stress levels, while also educating them on the access to other programs in their

community and the importance of a healthy lifestyle. This program will also aim to educate these

women on the importance of managing stress and how that overall affects the mind, body, and

spirit over time.

The program will be held for a total of 6 weeks at a time, held at outdoor parks and

indoor recreation centers across the community. Personal trainers will lead the workshops, where

45 minute exercise classes will be taught, as well as mindfulness sessions to increase self

efficacy for the participants. Increasing self efficacy is shown to change health behaviors in an

impactful way due to those participating to change their mindset that they can actually achieve

what they put their mind to (Schwarzer & Luszczynska, n.d.). By changing their mindset and

creating obtainable goals, the participants will eventually be able to believe that they are capable

and strong.

Program Implementation

To implement this program, myself along with the personal trainers running the program

will present this idea to the county health department. From there they can assist us with

implementation steps, marketing, and data recording. This program will be able to change health

outcomes and data for the county, so having the health department track the positive and

negative effects it may have, will be important. In terms of financing the program, funding will

be needed. We can present this program to the Nike Foundation where they grant communities

up to $25,000 if they are able to support that they are trying to drive change in their community

(OCF, 2023). This funding would allow us to be able to buy high end supplies including mats,
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weights, resistance bands, medicine balls, journals, and water bottles. This would also help pay

for facility rentals for when outdoor park use is not usable.

Program Obstacles

Obstacles can get in the way of implementation steps when developing this program.

These can include not having proper funding, the health department wanting to change many

ideas, or not having enough participants. To overcome these obstacles, it will be important to

really sell the program to Nike to receive funding, and to the health department for support.

Without these first steps, the program might not thrive. Bringing raw data and how we plan to

make a change, can help sway these parties into adopting the program for the community. The

challenge of not having enough participants can be combated through marketing. Heavily

marketing this program to the public through churches, health clinics, and using social media,

can help participation numbers grow.

Health Professionals

One health professional that would be helping this program would be personal trainers.

They will be the ones leading the workshops by providing exercise and nutritional education. It

would also be beneficial to have mental health counselors at these workshops. If our goal is to

improve self efficacy in these women, personal trainers and counselors can work together to help

change unhealthy behaviors.

Program Measurements

With the health department being a primary leader in this program development, it will

be crucial for them to track data. At the beginning of this program the women will be obligated

to weigh in with the help of the health department, and journal their attitudes about exercise and

the program in general. At the end of the 6 weeks, the women will need to repeat this process
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again. Throughout the program, they will also be provided a journal to track progress and

feelings towards the program and exercising. By having before, during, and after metrics, the

health department will then be able to pull this data and see if there are any real, beneficial

outcomes. The goal is to have 5% of the female population of Newport News fall out of these

obese categories within the first year of the program. With this data, it can also reflect a mental

health shift when it comes to stress management and how these women will carry that

throughout their lives going forward.

Summary

This program will drive change to the community of Newport News, VA. Reducing

obesity rates will also help shift this community into healthy stress management techniques.

With the help of mental health counselors, the participants will be able to see themselves

differently and understand how to manage their stress in a healthier way. Instead of overeating,

not exercising, and using unhealthy behaviors, they will now be able to manage their stress,

exercise, and set obtainable goals for the future.

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References

American Psychological Association, (2007). Stress a Major Health Problem in the U.S., APA

Warns. https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2007/10/stress

American Psychological Association, (2023). Stress effects on the body.

https://www.apa.org/topics/stress/body

County Health Rankings and Roadmaps, (2020). Newport News City, VA.

https://www.countyhealthrankings.org/explore-health-rankings/virginia/newport-news-city?

year=2023

OCF, (2023). Nike Community Fund Impact Program. https://oregoncf.org/grants-and-

scholarships/grants/nike-community-impact-fund-program/

Schwarzer, R. & Luszczynska, A. (n.d.). Perceived Self Efficacy.

https://cancercontrol.cancer.gov/sites/default/files/2020-06/self-efficacy.pdf

Seaward, B. (2022). Managing stress: Principles and strategies for health and well-being (10th

ed.). Jones & Bartlett Learning.

Stahl, B., & Goldstein, E. (2019). A mindfulness-based stress reduction workbook (2nd ed.).

New Harbinger Publications, Inc.

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