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Abstract #183666

Linda M. Shak, MSW¹, Rhianna JoIris Babka, BA², Sarah Adler-McDonald, BA¹, Leslie Mikkelsen, MPH, RD¹, and Sana Chehimi, MPH¹. (1) Prevention Institute, 221 Oak St., Oakland, CA 94607, 510-444-7738, Linda@preventioninstitute.org, (2) School of Social Welfare, University of California at Berkeley, 120 Haviland Hall, #7400, Berkeley, CA 94720-7400

Communities across the country are recognizing the importance of access to healthy food in order to prevent chronic disease. At the same time, concerns about our current food system have led to increasing interest in food systems that promote human health, protect the environment, and provide a livable income and fair working conditions for growers and laborers. Compelling reasons exist to link current efforts to improve nutrition environments with the sustainable agriculture movement. Prevention Institute has taken this opportunity to expand the Environmental Nutrition and Activity Community Tool (ENACT) to highlight promising strategies that support a more sustainable food system and human health.

ENACT offers an array of achievable actions for making improvements to food and activity environments in seven sectors: childcare, school, afterschool, community, workplace, healthcare and government. ENACT provides community leaders with a practical web-based tool to assess local environments, prioritize strategies for change, and use the resources provided as starting points towards policy implementation. With funding from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, ENACT has been expanded to include over 20 new and enhanced strategies that call attention to sustainable food systems.

This presentation provides an overview of ENACT while highlighting new concrete strategies that support sustainable food systems and promote healthy eating and activity environments. Participants will learn about a range of strategies—developing farm to institution programs, investing in farmers' markets, and connecting locally grown food to local retail establishments—while also gaining an understanding of how these strategies improve food access for, and support the health of, community residents.

Learning Objectives:

• • Articulate the importance of an environmental approach to preventing chronic illness.
• • Identify 3-5 specific sustainable food system strategies that can be implemented at the local level to improve human health.
• • Understand how to use ENACT as a community planning and assessment tool.

Keywords: Food and Nutrition, Community-Based Health Promotion

Related Web page: www.preventioninstitute.org/sa/enact/members/susagstrategiesnologin.php?b6c96a85ebad6ec954d1dcbc848b8724

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: of our extensive experience developing tools for community-based practice that promotes prevention of illness and community health.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.