Childhood obesity has become a statewide problem in California. In February 2000, the California High School Fast Food Survey revealed that California could be leading a trend toward fast food in schools that may be contributing to the problem. This study immediately caught the interest of key legislators. In Summer 2000, the California Research Bureau was commissioned by 2 legislators to write a report based on the qualitative exploration of childhood obesity in California by conducting 19 focus groups of children and adults. Following the focus groups, the Research Bureau sponsored a small fact finding tour on school nutrition and physical activity issues for California State Legislators. Legislative staff representing 5 officials and representatives from the CA Department of Education and California Project LEAN visited 4 public schools in Los Angeles. The tour gave legislative participants a first hand opportunity to see the difficulty children have in finding healthy food and physical activity options at school. The tour also highlighted creative solutions to the problem. As a result, leading state and national children’s health advocates testified at a special interim hearing before the Senate Health and Human Services committee related to Senate Bill 19 which calls for: - regulation of foods sold on school grounds; - involvement and approval of students in selecting healthier menu items; - provision of incentives and to encourage schools to produce school-branded versions of favorite foods and - exploration of new opportunities to generate revenue that aren’t based on the sale of unhealthy foods. See www.dhs.ca.gov/lean
Learning Objectives: Attendees will: - Learn how survey research engaged the interest of legislators. - Operationalize research findings to local constituency issues that drive legislative decision-making.
Keywords: Policy/Policy Development, Legislative
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.