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The prevalence of obesity in the U.S. has increased dramatically over the past 30 years, no doubt increasing the prevalence of diabetes, which has more than doubled during the same time period, according to St. Francis’ Medical Center 2010 Community Needs Assessment.

In L.A. County in particular, nearly nine percent of adults are diagnosed with diabetes, with children not too far behind, according to the report. In Service Planning Area 6, which includes Lynwood, the rates are even higher than L.A. County. For example, childhood obesity is at 28.9%, adult obesity is at 35.4% and adult diabetes is at 12.3%.

To combat these numbers and improve the health of the community, the St. Francis Medical Center has created the Vida Sana program that aims to build a “healthier community through a 6-month, coordinated program which focuses on heart health, diabetes education/management, and obesity awareness.”

Part of this effort to increase obesity awareness and improve overall community health is the second annual 5K/10K Run/Walk for Diabetes and Obesity Awareness.

The event takes place Saturday at Lynwood City Park. Registration is free and open until the day of the event beginning at 7 a.m. The 5K race begins at 8:30 a.m. and the 10K race follows at 9:30 a.m. Registration forms can be downloaded at www.stfrancismedicalcenter.org. For general information about the race, call 310-603-WELL (9355).

In addition to the run/walk activities, the event will host 25 informational booths, complete health screenings, and classes about Type 2 diabetes. All information will be provided in both English and Spanish.

The idea for the race came from the “staggering numbers” hospital administrators saw in its study, said Raquel Dominguez, director of volunteers and wellness initiative.

“We went around our service areas to get a sense of what was happening with our population, and saw high incidents of diabetes, hypertension, cholesterol,” Dominguez said. “And the president (of the hospital) told me, ‘we opened up Pandora’s box; now we need to fix it’.”

Last year, nearly 400 participants participated in the event, and this year, with the added 10K component, organizers said they are hoping to exceed that number. To promote the event, organizers are partnering with churches and hospitals, as well as community organizations and schools.

Deena Smith, a teacher at Lynwood High School, is working with the hospital to help its goal to increase participation and obesity awareness. As part of that effort, she is working to recruit about 200 students for the race. So far recruitment is going well, she said.

“We want the students to see it not so much as a high school event, but as any age group event, and we are asking them to bring their family members,” Smith said. 

Smith said she is putting a lot energy into promoting the event because she, too, believes in its mission, particularly for the sake of her students and the children in the community.

“With all of the electronics our kids just are not active anymore,” she said. “Most of my students want to work in health and it is helping bring awareness to the disparity in our community.”