Nutrition Services

The County of Orange (County) Health Care Agency (HCA) is seeking applications from qualified organizations to provide CalFresh Healthy Living (CFHL) Services to the low-income population residing in Orange County. The goal of these services is to apply comprehensive, evidence-based obesity prevention strategies that are designed to achieve specific behavioral outcomes, including increased consumption of healthy foods and beverages, reduced consumption of less healthy foods and beverages, and increased levels of physical activity, with the overarching goal of preventing obesity and other diet-related chronic diseases. Poor diets and sedentary lifestyles have a profound impact on the development of obesity and obesity-related chronic diseases. Over the past thirty years, obesity prevalence in the United States has doubled among adults and tripled among children. Obesity and diabetes are major contributors to the leading causes of death, including heart disease, stroke, and certain cancers. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that more than one-third (34.9 percent) of U.S. adults are obese–that is more than 78 million people. In addition, in Orange County, according to the California Health Interview Survey, 60.1 percent of adults are overweight or obese. Obesity is an identified priority area within the Orange County Community Health Improvement Plan. CFHL is a program of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program-Education (SNAP-Ed) that primarily provides nutrition education to the CalFresh eligible population (generally low-income individuals and families earning less than 185 percent of the federal poverty level). The goal of CFHL is to support the target communities in making healthy food choices and choosing physically active lifestyles. Historically this USDA funding has focused heavily on nutrition education. In 2013, the program shifted to enhance the promotion of physical activity and expand the creation/support of policies, systems, and environmental (PSE) changes that support good nutrition and physical activity. Demonstrating a comprehensive approach to reducing obesity, HCA is seeking to award applications to implement CFHL aligned activities.