Childhood Obesity in Low-income Families in Washington County, Maine

The region of Washington County is one of the most impoverished areas in Eastern Maine. Because poverty is disproportionately higher and more persistent in rural areas, living in poverty in the Washington County area is a common situation. Many families living in the rural areas of eastern Maine are more susceptible to certain obesity trends due to aspects that they may be aware of but cannot change. The purpose of this presentation is to bring light to the economic situation occurring in the Eastern Maine region and to develop interventions to address the conditions of the rural low-income residents of Washington County and how they relate to the obesity epidemic.