STRATEGIC ALLIANCE NEWSLETTER

July 2004

Welcome to the latest update from the Strategic Alliance. In this issue, titled "Making Change Happen through Policy and Legislation," we highlight:

• The importance of local policy work to improve nutrition and activity environments
• Examples of local nutrition and activity policies
• The Environmental Nutrition and Activity Community Tool for achieving change on the local level
• And key legislative updates for 2004:
  www.publichealthadvocacy.org/legislation/ and www.cfpa.net/legislation/2004/2004legislativetracking.htm

We appreciate your feedback and suggestions for future issues, and urge you to visit our website on a regular basis.

Coming Next Month: A special issue on Physical Activity

"All progress is initiated by challenging current conceptions, and executed by supplanting existing institutions."
-George Bernard Shaw

THINK GLOBALLY, ACT LOCALLY: THE IMPORTANCE OF LOCAL POLICY

One strategy to improve eating and activity environments in CA is to participate in policy creation at the local level. Although people often think of public policy only in terms of broad state and national-level initiatives, many important policies are initiated locally. Local policy generally refers to action at the city or county level or by special districts such as school or transportation districts. Some of the reasons local policy offers an advantageous "starting point" for putting nutrition and physical activity promotion strategies into practice includes: the greater accessibility of policy-makers at the local level; smaller, more manageable government bureaucracies; responsiveness of decision-makers to community concerns; and initiating policies that can act as a laboratory for broader-level change.

Please visit this page to read more about the importance of local policy.

"The ideas of one generation become the instincts of the next."
-D.H. Lawrence

ENVIRONMENTAL NUTRITION AND ACTIVITY COMMUNITY TOOL (ENACT): OFFERING STRATEGIES FOR LOCAL POLICY AND ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE TO IMPROVE EATING AND ACTIVITY

The new improved ENACT is here. We would like to thank everyone that helped us to identify priorities for action and contributed their knowledge of promising practices for improving eating and activity environments. Making changes at the local level, including policy changes, requires not only an understanding of the root causes of poor nutrition and physical inactivity, but also a set of strategies for addressing these root causes. Strategic Alliance has designed ENACT based on promising practices for promoting healthy eating and activity drawn from around the country. ENACT is a menu of achievable actions and strategies that local communities and institutions can implement to create environments where healthy eating and physical activity are realistic options. We believe that working locally -- in neighborhoods, workplaces and children's environments -- can not only make healthy eating and regular activity a realistic option for everyone, but that changes to the local environment often bubble up to affect state and national policy. ENACT can not only assist you, your organization or local coalition, in assessing the current status of your eating and activity environments, but also offers a framework for prioritizing strategies for implementation. In the weeks and months ahead, we will steadily add complete "how to" information for each of the 60 ENACT strategies. ENACT reflects the work of all us -- please let us know about environmental and policy change efforts in your community.

EXAMPLES OF LOCAL POLICIES TO IMPROVE EATING AND ACTIVITY ENVIRONMENT

Local policy can take many forms, from city to county-wide initiatives and resolutions impacting both eating and/or activity. We've included some examples of local policy below:

Contra Costa County's Food Policy
In 1993, the County Board of Supervisors adopted the Contra Costa County Food Policy, a set of nutritional guidelines developed by the Food Policy subcommittee of the Contra Costa Food and Nutrition Policy Consortium. The policy requires that a healthy choice of refreshments consistent with U.S. dietary guidelines is offered at all county-sponsored functions at which meals or snacks are served. The policy also extends to county government vending machines, caterers, cafeterias, and county food assistance programs.

Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation Healthy Parks Initiative
In order to address childhood obesity, the Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation launched a "Healthy Parks Initiative" to connect families with health services in the county's parks and raise awareness on the importance of healthy nutrition and activity in all park sponsored activities. The initiative seeks to make parks and recreation agencies an integral part of the efforts to promote healthy lifestyles to children.

City Councils in two North Carolina Cities Pass Sidewalk Ordinances
With the advocacy efforts of the Cardiovascular Health Coordinator of Cabarrus County, two cities within that county passed a sidewalk ordinance placing five-foot wide sidewalks on all sides, six foot wide planting strips, curbs and gutters for all newly/redeveloped properties. The successful ordinance has not only increased the opportunity for safe physical activity, but has also increased awareness of the linkages between built environment changes and physical activity.

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATIVE UPDATES

There continues to be many nutrition and physical activity-related bills making their way through the legislature. Here are updates on a few bills of interest to Strategic Alliance members. For a more complete listing, see the Center for Public Health Advocacy.

AB 2686 (Jackson)
The amended version of AB2686 would let parents know about two key school district nutrition policies, so that they have the knowledge they need to work at the local level to improve their district's school lunch program. The Legislature would urge school districts to (1) adopt certain standards for the fat and saturated fat levels for entr?es served as part of the National School Lunch Program and (2) provide parents with nutrition information about the school lunch program. The Amended AB2686 Passed the Senate Education Committee and is scheduled for the Senate Appropriations Committee on August 2, 2004. For updates on the bill, visit www.cfpa.net/legislation/2004/2004legislativetracking.htm.

SB 1087 (Soto)
SB1087 extends funds for the Safe Routes to School Program that provides nearly twenty-five million dollars a year to California for pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure improvements near schools until January 1, 2008. The bill passed the Assembly Transportation Committee and is scheduled for the Assembly Appropriations Committee on August 4, 2004. For updates on the bill, visit www.transact.org/ca/.

SB 1566 (Escutia)
SB 1566 would establish comprehensive nutrition standards for all foods sold outside of the federal meal programs in all California public schools, K-12. Implementation of food standards are NOT linked to the appropriation of funds by the Legislature. The bill was amended to strike the ban of the sale of unhealthy beverages in high school. The bill has passed the Senate Floor, the Assembly Health committee and Assembly Education Committee. It will go to the Assembly Appropriations Committee next, at a date to be determined. For updates on the bill, visit www.publichealthadvocacy.org/legislation/.

UPCOMING ACTIONS/ACTIVITIES

Symposium on Policy Reforms to Address Food Marketing to Children, August 12 (9 AM-12 PM), Sacramento
Speakers include Eric Schlosser (author of Fast Food Nation), Dale Kunkle (primary author of the American Psychological Association's report on advertising to children), and Susan Linn (author of Consuming Kids: the Hostile Takeover of Childhood). To register for this free event, please contact HG@PublicHealthAdvocacy.org.

Social Marketing Conference: "Changing Environments for Healthy Eating and Active Living", August 4-5, 2004, Sacramento.
The 2004 Social Marketing Conference theme, "Changing Environments for Healthy Eating and Active Living," reflects the profound impact that environmental factors have on the social, community, school, worksite, and individual health behavior choices people make. This is further influenced by the media and marketing efforts. Deadline for early registration is July 23rd; visit https://www.cce.csus.edu/WebReg/CTSRegistration/SMCConferenceReg.cfm.

Save the Date! January 9-12, 2005 California Childhood Obesity Conference, San Diego
The California Childhood Obesity Conference is the largest gathering of professionals on the topic of pediatric overweight in the State of California. This conference sells out fast, attracting more than 1,200 participants, representing health care professionals such as physicians, nutritionists, dietitians, school nurses, psychologists, counselors to healthcare policy makers, researchers, media, business and civic leaders, parks and recreation personnel, and the entire K-12 arena and early childhood education (food service personnel, physical education teachers, nutrition educators, teachers, child care providers, youth organizations and after-school programs) and parents. The registration brochure will be posted on-line in August. For general information, visit www.cce.csus.edu/cts/co/.

RESOURCES

California Project LEAN announces a new resource, BRIGHT IDEAS, a webpage designed to showcase successful or promising examples of schools and communities taking action on nutrition and physical activity by addressing policy and environmental change.

• LEARN about successful strategies and programs that have made it easier for youth to eat healthy food and/or be physically active at school or in the community.
• LINK to other people and organizations using successful strategies to increase student access to healthy foods and physical activity.
• CLICK on the BRIGHT IDEAS light bulb to review or submit a BRIGHT IDEA at CaliforniaProjectLEAN.org.

WHAT IS THE STRATEGIC ALLIANCE?

The Strategic Alliance is reframing the debate on nutrition and physical activity, away from a focus on individual choice and lifestyle, towards one of environment and corporate and government responsibility. Current Steering Committee members are: California Adolescent Nutrition and Fitness Program (CANFit), California Center for Public Health Advocacy, California Food Policy Advocates, California Pan-Ethnic Health Network, California Parks and Recreation Society, California Project LEAN, California WIC Association, Child Care Food Program Roundtable, Latino Health Access, Prevention Institute, Samuels & Associates and YMCA of the East Bay.

HOW TO BECOME A MEMBER

The Strategic Alliance is currently engaged in building a broad and diverse statewide membership. To join or for more information, please visit us on the Web, eatbettermovemore.org, or contact Sana Chehimi at 510.444.7738 or sana@preventioninstitute.org. And even if you're already a member, please forward this message on to your colleagues so we can continue to strengthen our coalition. Thank you!

The Strategic Alliance is supported by funding from The California Endowment.

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