Environmental Nutrition and Activity Community Tool: Community innovations for a sustainable food system and chronic disease prevention

As the United States faces a public health crisis of nutrition and physical activity-related illness, the influence of the environment in shaping key behaviors is becoming increasingly recognized. At the same time, public concern over our current food system, and its impact on health, is growing. Public health professionals are beginning to link their concerns about nutrition and activity-related illness to the health consequences of our current agricultural system. Prevention Institute has taken this opportunity to use its Environmental Nutrition and Activity Community Tool (ENACT) to highlight community innovations that support both health and a sustainable food system. ENACT, an interactive web-based tool, offers an array of achievable actions for making improvements to eating and activity environments in seven sectors: childcare, school, afterschool, neighborhood, workplace, healthcare and government. With funding from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, ENACT has been expanded to include new sustainable food system strategies within the seven environments. This presentation will provide an overview of the ENACT tool while highlighting new concrete strategies that support sustainable food systems and promote healthy eating and activity environments. With this tool, Prevention Institute offers a road map for communities that want to make healthy, sustainable eating and regular physical activity a realistic option for everyone.