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2 Acting Locally
Pages 25-44

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From page 25... ... Local governments make many of the decisions that affect access to healthy food and opportunities for physical activity and therefore play an important role in preventing childhood obesity. Because many children in cities and towns nationwide are facing the health and emotional consequences of childhood obesity, it is incumbent upon local governments to strengthen the role they play in providing their children and youth with access to and availability of healthy choices. Read the entire page →
From page 26... ... Likewise, as noted in Chapter 1, policies and programs developed to prevent childhood obesity can meet other local government goals as well. For example, after-school recreation programs implemented to increase physical activity with obesity prevention in mind can help meet crime prevention goals by reducing opportunities for youth to be victims or perpetrators of crime. Read the entire page →
From page 27... ... SOURCE: Baltimore Sustainability Plan, http://www.baltimorecity.gov/government/planning/sustainability. Implement Policies, Ordinances, and Programs Local governments are in a unique position to improve the health of their commu nities by advancing local policies that have an impact on the availability of healthy foods and places for physical activity and that also limit less healthy options. Read the entire page →
From page 28... ... 28 Local Government Actions to Prevent Childhood Obesity Read the entire page →
From page 29... ... Differences in geography, pop ulation, resources, and size present both challenges and opportunities for childhood obesity prevention efforts. Furthermore, local governance structures vary, differing in the extent of the local government's jurisdictional authority over schools, zoning, transportation policies, and many other issues. Read the entire page →
From page 30... ... SOURCE: New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, www.nyc.gov/html/doh. 30 Local Government Actions to Prevent Childhood Obesity Read the entire page →
From page 31... ... The council works toward increasing physical activity and improving nutrition throughout Austin. It consists of three committees that meet frequently to develop and implement programs. Read the entire page →
From page 32... ... STEPS IN PLANNING LOCAL CHILDHOOD OBESITY PREVENTION EFFORTS Local governments should consider the following steps as they plan childhood obesity prevention efforts: 1. Conduct a community assessment 2. Read the entire page →
From page 33... ... Examples of com munity characteristics to include in this assessment are • Location of grocery stores and supermarkets • Location of fast-food restaurants • Location of corner stores • Location of vending machines • Location of farmers' markets • Location of food carts • Location of water fountains in public facilities • Extent of advertising of unhealthy food • Statistics on and perceptions of safety • Ease and safety of walking to school • Location of walking and biking trails • Condition and connectivity of sidewalks • Condition and accessibility of youth activities and sports • Location and availability of public transportation to grocery stores and r ecreational facilities • Participation rates in federal nutrition assistance programs • Location of community gardens Using this and other relevant information, local governments can identify what features that promote healthy weight already exist in their community and what is still needed. Policies and programs can then be created to meet those needs. Read the entire page →
From page 34... ... 2. Involve Constituents Community involvement is vital to implementing effective childhood obesity pre vention efforts. If people feel free to speak and are listened to, they may reveal barriers to healthy eating and physical activity or identify critical community needs of which local government officials and staff are not aware. Read the entire page →
From page 35... ... In addition, when seemingly unrelated data are represented spatially, it is often possible to make associations that might otherwise not have been apparent. Maps can highlight farmers' m arkets, access to food stores, parks, places to walk, public transportation routes, shops, access to health care, and other features that help provide for a healthy community. Read the entire page →
From page 36... ... SOURCE: King County Food and Fitness Initiative, http://king.wsu.edu/foodandfarms/KCFFI.html. 3. Identify Top Policy Priorities By assessing current food and physical activity environments and involving con stituents in determining community needs, local government officials and staff can identify top policy priorities for their community. Read the entire page →
From page 37... ... , the Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans, the Renaissance Project, Steps to a Healthier Louisiana/New Orleans, the Louisiana Public Health Institute, the City of New Orleans Health Department, the New Orleans Food and Farm Network, and The Food Trust -- made their case before the Economic Development Committee, which unanimously endorsed the idea. The full City Council approved a resolution authorizing creation of a Food Policy Advisory Committee, and charged it with making recommendations for addressing the lack of access to healthy food in New Orleans. Read the entire page →
From page 38... ... These pro grams can fund healthy meals and snacks -- a foundation upon which children's anti-obesity programs can be developed -- for example, by providing nutritious meals and related nutrition education to children in summer recreation programs through the Summer Food Service Program, or using farmers' markets (which allow for the use of SNAP benefits in purchasing food) to recruit community 38 Local Government Actions to Prevent Childhood Obesity Read the entire page →
From page 39... ... This includes monitoring federal and state funding that is directly related to obesity prevention or that can help fund projects that meet several local government goals, including childhood obesity prevention. Community and locally based foundations are often a good place to start. Read the entire page →
From page 40... ... Furthermore, regular evaluation of obesity prevention actions allows local governments to adapt policies to changing demographics of the local popula tion and provide the best use of resources. Information and lessons learned from these efforts can help local governments develop even better programs and poli cies. Read the entire page →
From page 41... ... These programs and policies should be chosen based on the needs and characteristics of individual communi ties. This report highlights a number of programs and policies in the form of case studies; many more such examples of local governments that are translating child hood obesity prevention strategies into action could be cited. Read the entire page →
From page 42... ... 42 Local Government Actions to Prevent Childhood Obesity Read the entire page →
From page 43... ... Presentation at the IOM Community Perspectives on Obesity Prevention in Children Workshop, Washington, DC. Flournoy, R., and S Read the entire page →
From page 44... ... :282–289. 44 Local Government Actions to Prevent Childhood Obesity Read the entire page →

From page 25...

... Local governments make many of the decisions that affect access to healthy food and opportunities for physical activity and therefore play an important role in preventing childhood obesity. Because many children in cities and towns nationwide are facing the health and emotional consequences of childhood obesity, it is incumbent upon local governments to strengthen the role they play in providing their children and youth with access to and availability of healthy choices.

2 Acting Locally Pages 25-44

2 Acting Locally
Pages 25-44