Contact: Sana Chehimi
Office phone: 510.444.7738
Cell phone: 510.681.3534

sana@preventioninstitute.org

One Year Later:

Has California Made Progress Since the Governor’s Action Summit on Nutrition, Health and Obesity?

New Report Assesses Achievements, Challenges

Strategic Alliance calls on Governor to renew commitment to nutrition and physical activity

Oakland, CA—September 12, 2006.  The Strategic Alliance for Healthy Food and Activity Environments today released Recommitting to Health, a report assessing the state’s progress since last year’s Governor’s Action Summit on Health, Nutrition, and Obesity.

 “Obesity continues to be a major threat to health and we are only beginning to take it seriously,” says Dr. Richard Jackson, the former California State Public Health Officer under Schwarzenegger. Dr. Jackson is pleased with some of the progress in nutrition and physical activity but says “these problems have developed over time, and while the gestures so far have been good, they must be followed through.”

Governor Schwarzenegger is the first California Governor to make promoting healthy eating and physical activity a high priority. His administration has taken significant steps to improve eating and activity environments, including last year’s Summit, where he signed the junk food ban for all California public schools.

The Summit also invited commitments of significance from non-profit and business leaders across the state. But businesses, especially the food industry have not done much since last year’s summit. Junk food continues to proliferate, the number of supermarkets has been reduced, and little has been evidenced in improving worksite health.

Recommitting to Health describes the significant achievements made in the past year, including $40 million in new ongoing incentive grant funding for schools to hire credentialed physical education teachers. Locally, several cities and counties passed policies to support healthy vending, healthy meal options, and physical activity in worksites and facilities serving community residents. The Healthy Purchase Pilot Program bill (AB 2384) is on the Governor’s desk and if signed will support small stores in underserved neighborhoods in offering produce and reward food stamp user in certain counties for purchasing fruits and vegetables.

The past year was also marked by missed opportunities, the report finds. The Highway infrastructure bond failed to allocate funds for sidewalks, bike boulevards, and pedestrian and bike-friendly street design. And the Healthy Foods Access Act (SB 1329) which would have increased funding for supermarkets in underserved neighborhoods did not pass out of committee.

The supermarket gap is of great concern to local residents. Gwendolyn Flynn of the Community Health Councils, who was interviewed for the report, is worried that communities of color in California can not easily purchase healthy food. “The flight of supermarkets is a significant barrier to food access,” she said. “Supermarkets would be good for the local economy but it doesn’t seem the stores are making decisions about where to locate based on strictly economic criteria. There is something else going on.”

Recommitting to Health calls on Governor Schwarzenegger and his administration to take action to improve eating and activity environments in neighborhoods, schools and workplaces throughout the state. Specifically the report asks the Governor to:

1. Support the placement of supermarkets and grocery stores and increased access to healthy foods in underserved communities.
2. Promote the passage of the park bond and ensure funds are transmitted to communities most in need.
3. Adopt and implement policies to make state worksites serve as model environments for supporting healthy eating and regular physical activity.
4. Promote funding, training, and guidelines to support complete streets throughout California. Complete streets are designed not only for cars, but for all modes of transportation, including pedestrians, bicycles, and people with disabilities, so that all users can travel safely and independently.
5. Encourage the food and beverage industry to make major improvements by discontinuing marketing of unhealthy foods and beverages to children and making healthy options the default in children’s meals at fast food restaurants.
6. Ensure that every cabinet member sets goals and takes action to address chronic disease prevention.
7. Look at the achievements of every other state and analyze how to most effectively utilize these approaches in California.
8. Highlight local successes and encourage more local policy change.

“Any one of these actions will help Californians create healthier neighborhoods,” said Leslie Mikkelsen, an author of the report. “This is the Governor’s issue. It’s been a life long passion of his. We want him to create the policies that will put that passion into practice for everyone in the state,” she said.

For more information and to download a copy of Recommitting to Health go to http://www.eatbettermovemore.org.

REPORTERS, for contact information for local leaders and spokespeople in your area, please contact Sana Chehimi, Work: 510 444 7738, Cell: 510 681 3534,

sana@preventioninstitute.org.

The Strategic Alliance is a coalition of California’s leading public health and health care, parks and recreation, transportation, and nutrition organizations. The Alliance Steering Committee includes: The California Adolescent Nutrition and Fitness Program (CANFit); California Center for Public Health Advocacy; California Food Policy Advocates; California Pan Ethnic Health Network; California Park & Recreation Society; California Project LEAN; California WIC Association; Child Care Food Program Roundtable; Latino Health Access; Partnership for the Public’s Health; Prevention Institute; Samuels & Associates, Inc; and YMCA of the East Bay.

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