Measuring Progress in Obesity Prevention Workshop Report (2012) / Chapter Skim
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6 Assessing State and Community Efforts
6 Assessing State and Community Efforts
Pages 73-90
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From page 73... ...
Like federal policy makers, policy makers at the state, county, and municipal levels all have an interest in the health of their citizens and can play a significant role in efforts to reduce obesity. However, assessing the effectiveness of policy interventions related to healthy eating, active living, and obesity prevention can be difficult, Eduardo Sanchez, vice president and chief medical officer, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas, noted in introducing a session on the role of states and communities.
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From page 74... ...
Maya Rockeymoore, president and CEO of Global Policy Solutions and program director of Leadership for Healthy Communities (LHC) , discussed efforts of the LHC program to reach policy makers about ways to promote healthy eating and physical activity, with a particular emphasis on reducing childhood obesity.
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From page 75... ...
The grants support a range of activities all designed to promote, sponsor, and support public policies and programs that encourage healthy diets and physical activity. Examples of the ways the program works through these leadership associations to influence policy makers include educating members about promising policies and new research findings; elevating childhood obesity as a priority focus; and promoting, supporting, and sponsoring public policies that support obesity prevention.
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From page 76... ...
COMMUNITY STRATEGIES AND MEASURES Presenter: Laura Kettel Khan Like the LHC program, CDC supports local governments and communities in obesity prevention. As Kettel Khan explained, CDC recommends both strategies and corresponding measures with which local governments
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From page 77... ...
The approach to designing the recommendations grew out of recognition that there is scant knowledge of what works best for community efforts toward population-based obesity prevention, Kettel Khan explained. The process is grounded in existing evidence and expert opinion -- as opposed to consensus -- and is in some ways "aspirational, or even exploratory," she added.
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From page 78... ...
This was a novel process for CDC, Kettel Khan explained, and she summarized what was learned from it. First, she noted, "simplicity was the key." These strategies engage local government personnel who are not deeply involved in research or prepared to conduct primary data collection.
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From page 79... ...
Another component of CPPW is an investment of $125 million at the state and territory level, and the program is reaching every state and territory and numerous communities around the country, Kettel Khan explained. Kettel Khan also mentioned the Nutrition and Obesity Policy Research and Evaluation Network, a group of researchers who conduct transdisciplinary research on policy identification, development, and implementation.4 This is one example of a research network designed to link research efforts focused on an obesity-related theme, and PAPRN is another, discussed next.5 FOSTERING RESEARCH COLLABORATION Presenter: Amy A
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From page 80... ...
As discussed in Chapter 2, physical activity policies may affect such aspects of a community as access to recreation areas or parks; bicycle rack policies at schools, libraries, or community centers; school recess options; the safety of play areas for children; workplace exercise options; and access to public transportation. Data on such policies are collected in different formats, and the evidence base is better for some than for others, Eyler noted.
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From page 81... ...
Moreover, little funding has been allocated for evaluation of these bills' effects. Although PAPRN found that more work is needed on the content of legislation, as well as implementation and evaluation, Eyler noted that these results provide a good basis for future policy surveillance.
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From page 82... ...
in Missouri school districts. The researchers found that 71 percent of the districts had a plan for community use in place, but that the majority had copied the policies of either the School Board Association or Missouri Consultants for Education.
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From page 83... ...
Department of Agriculture's efforts to develop nationwide standards for competitive foods in schools, and the White House report on childhood obesity (White House Task Force on Childhood Obesity, 2010)
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From page 84... ...
Most currently available obesity-related policy measures focus on school settings, she added; fewer address broader aspects of the community, the built environment, and the food environment. Therefore, much work remains to be done.
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ASSESSING IMPACTS ON HEALTH Presenter: Brian Cole Cole discussed two tools for influencing decision making related to obesity reduction efforts: health impact assessment (HIA) and health forecasting.
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From page 86... ...
For that reason, Cole added, it is important for experts from different sectors and community stakeholders to help guide the assessment. Health forecasting, which can be a tool in an HIA or be used on its own, is way of applying different scenarios -- such as environmental exposures, demographic shifts, or policy changes -- to a synthetic population to explore possible outcomes.
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From page 87... ...
; • including all types of physical activity, not just activities labeled "exercise"; • using longitudinal data to track physical activity over the life span; • evaluating community interventions that track cohorts before and after interventions; • paying greater attention to cross-validation of self-reported physi cal activity and accelerometry7 data in diverse populations; and using off-the-shelf tools8 to estimate physical activity in small • areas -- for example, to infer physical activity for small areas or 7 An objective measure of physical activity. 8 For example, akin to those developed for the EpiQMS (Epidemiologic Query and Mapping System)
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From page 88... ...
A national, web-based clearinghouse called HIA-CLIC (Health Impact Assessment Clearinghouse Learning and Information Center) 9 provides information, tutorials, and other resources related to HIAs, Cole noted, including an archive of HIAs that have been conducted in the United States.
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From page 89... ...
2011. Accelerating progress in obesity prevention with health impact assessment and health forecasting.
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From page 90... ...
2010. Solving the problem of childhood obesity within a generation: White House Task Force on Childhood Obesity report to the President.
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