Blending Lifestyle Education and Nutrition Demonstration for Seniors in the Warrensville Heights Community

The City of Warrensville Heights and The Cleveland Clinic are combining efforts to address the paucity of fresh and nutritious foods accessible to seniors in the Warrensville Heights community through a new program at the city's Civic and Senior Center. This program will combine healthy lifestyle education with nutrition demonstration using recipes that can be prepared in a blender. These recipes have been designed to be simple, delicious and easy to eat, and include smoothies, soups and even a few desserts! Our ultimate goal is to use both education and demonstration to promote a mindset change regarding community members' abilities to eat healthy.

The population in the Warrensville Heights community is aging, and there is a high prevalence of chronic diseases including hypertension, diabetes, obesity and kidney disease. A recent Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) identified engagement and participation in the promotion and maintenance of a healthy lifestyle as a major area for improvement. Currently there is very limited access to healthy foods in the immediate community of Warrensville Heights, and in many cases, the transportation costs required for residents to access those healthy foods is often financially unfeasible. It is clear from this CHNA that both access to and education about healthy food options is sorely needed in this community.

The Center for Lifestyle Medicine at the Cleveland Clinic Wellness Institute has a proven track record of engaging patients in healthy living and eating through education, live cooking demonstrations / hands-on cooking classes, exercise and stress management programs. In response to the CHNA and in collaboration with 12th District Representative, John E. Barnes, Jr., the BLENDS study will extend our expertise to the Warrensville Heights community.