San Diego County Childhood Obesity Initiative: A public/private partnership focused on environmental and policy change

This session will present the San Diego County Childhood Obesity Initiative (Initiative), a unique public/private partnership that has engaged community partners in multiple sectors to work together to impact childhood obesity through environmental and policy change. To successfully address the childhood obesity epidemic, local leaders must address the social and physical environmental factors that contribute to this crisis and undermine parents' efforts to protect their children's health. With this recognition, the San Diego County Board of Supervisors supported development of A Call to Action: San Diego County Childhood Obesity Action Plan, a comprehensive approach that identifies seven sectors that have the most influence on developing environments that support healthy choices and behavior change (county and city governments; healthcare systems and providers; schools and after-school providers; preschool and childcare providers; community-based, faith and youth organizations; media and marketing; and businesses).

The Initiative was formed to engage community partners and assure effective implementation of the strategies outlined in the Action Plan. Since its inception in 2006, the Initiative has established active workgroups in six of the seven sectors. Leaders from numerous public and private agencies and organizations have voluntarily stepped forward to champion the cause, guide work in and across sectors, and engage colleagues to work together while checking their individual agendas at the door. With much work in progress, this tremendous effort has resulted in policy change, advancement and implementation of childhood obesity prevention strategies, and development of best practice models that can be replicated throughout San Diego County and elsewhere.