Obesity Prevention Summit 2012

Obesity Prevention Summit 2012:

Via SOWA Live (So Alive!)

by Virginia Eader, School's Out Washington MSW Student Intern

Last week I had the opportunity to attend the Obesity Prevention Summit in Tukwila which was put on by the Childhood Obesity Prevention Coalition.

The day was packed full of information, statistics, and research with a focus on policy solutions for a healthier Washington. We began with a deliciously healthy breakfast and warm welcome by American Heart Association Board Member, Chris Gorey. He introduced some alarming statistics: currently only 8% of elementary students get daily physical activity during the school day. For middle-schoolers the numbers decrease to 4% and for high-schoolers only 2%. Twenty-two percent of schools do not require ANY physical activity. To make matters, worse 83% of food purchased by students at school, outside of the USDA food program, are fried and high in fat.

State Representative Laurie Jinkins gave the keynote address beginning with a rundown on the current state budget dilemma and possible solutions to produce more revenue rather than continuing to make cuts to much needed services. She also introduced two bills: House Bill 1801 which focuses on bringing healthier food to the USDA food program and House Bill 1700 focusing on bike transportation and ride sharing.

We then heard from Andrew Dannenberg, MD, MPH, and a panel of public health professionals across the state about the impact of the Built Environment on public health. This public health framework includes urban and suburban development, access to parks, air quality, public transportation, and even the idea as simple as the ‘walkability’ of your neighborhood. The panel members shared stories about how the state of Washington is making progress in these areas with campaigns such as the safe routes to school program and the healthy corner store initiative.

After a beautiful spread of delicious salads and sandwiches, I attended the informational panel on fighting childhood obesity and hunger with school breakfast. My favorite quote of the day was by panelist Don Sloma, with Healthy Communities Partnership. Without hesitation he said, “Healthy kids learn better. Start with breakfast”. Statistics show us that kids who are hungry have a more difficult time in the classroom.If we want kids to reach their fullest potential we must ensure they start the day out right. The current work being done to promote these efforts is the Fuel Up First with Breakfast Challenge, which is a strategic and innovative approach to improving the current USDA breakfast program in schools.

SOWA is committed to advocating for the health and well-being of young people in Washington State. Currently, SOWA sits on the Childhood Obesity Prevention Coalition, Washington Summer Meals Partnership workgroup, the Afterschool Meals workgroup, and the Coalition for Safety and Health in Early Learning, who just released a comprehensive report on child care nutrition and physical activity standards. SOWA also administers the Healthy Youth, Healthy Futures mini-grant, which focuses on building public awareness around the role afterschool and youth development programs play in promoting healthy youth behaviors, and the Feed Your Brain grant, which provides funding for Summer Learning programs to address the gaps of summer learning and summer nutrition.