Public health departments and obesity prevention: Current practices and policy opportunities

Purpose: To share the methods and findings of a survey conducted in California health departments to document local public health department practices, barriers and strategies for changing nutrition and physical activity environments for obesity prevention, and identify obesity prevention policy opportunities. The survey was funded by The California Endowment (TCE) and developed in collaboration with California Department of Health Services (DHS), California Conference of Local Health Officers (CCLHO), County Health Executives Association of California (CHEAC), and Partnership for the Public's Health (PPH).

Methods: The web-based survey was conducted by Samuels & Associates in the Winter of 2007 with public health directors, health officers, nutrition directors, and chronic disease directors in California's health departments. The survey addresses the following domains: public health department priorities, organizational structure, funding and workforce capacity for obesity prevention; internal organizational nutrition and physical activity policies; and strategies and opportunities for public health department engagement in changing nutrition and physical activity environments through data collection and monitoring, collaboration, and policy change and advocacy.

Findings: Momentum is building for environmental approaches to obesity prevention. Public health departments have an important role to play in these efforts. Data from this survey will provide an understanding of the challenges and opportunities faced by public health departments in changing nutrition and physical activity environments for obesity prevention. The presentation will discuss policy opportunities for public health departments to support and influence nutrition and physical activity policy change in environments such as schools, after school programs, health care settings, and neighborhoods.