Health fair provides tips to a healthy lifestyle – KTVO

Jefferson County Health Center hosts health fair.  / Alex Wilson

FAIRFIELD, IOWA — Fairfield residents got some tips on how to stay healthy Saturday.

The Jefferson County Health Center hosted their health fair Saturday.

They host the health fair every two years.

The Wellness to go, head to toe health fair offered over 80 vendors, exhibitors and demonstrations.

“It’s everything from putting a cast on your finger, washing your hands to make sure you get all the germs off to a shake or a make and take snack. So there’s a huge variety of things going on,” said Wanda Bagby of Jefferson County Health Center.

Here at the Jefferson County health fair you can even figure out what blood type you are, and I decided to find out what mine is. Alright we’re just going to start with one little stick to your finger. We’re getting slight clumping here which means you’re positive, there for you have blood type A+.

Organizers of the health fair say they try to draw in the younger crowd.

“Our focus is always for children and want the children to always come and enjoy themselves and lots of fun activities, but I have found the adults are having a really good time too,” said Bagby.

Children and adults could get free screenings including blood pressure tests and a balance test.

One booth that caught people’s eye was seeing how the lungs work inside of your body.

Another main attraction of the day was the jaws of life demonstration put on by the Fairfield Fire Department.

“It’s a time for us to play too because we don’t get them out that much, fortunately we don’t get them out that much, but we’re just showing them how it works, cutting some doors off, cutting roofs off, kind of having a good time doing it,” said Fairfield Fire Department Captain Brett Ferrell.

While everyone at the health fair seemed to be having a good time, it was also an educational time.

“Our focus is to teach all age groups that they can make simple changes in their life, simply healthy changes in their life to just give them a better quality of life no matter what age you are, you can make simple changes,” said Wanda Bagby of Jefferson County Health Center.

Fairfield just announced last week they are a Blue Zones Community and the health fair fits in with what being a Blue Zones Community means.