Oral

Community, policy and environmental factors work together in the formation and maintenance of an obesogenic environment. Therefore, these various factors can be exploited in community obesity prevention efforts. In this session, presenters will explore community driven approaches based on environmental and policy changes to obesity prevention. Examples from efforts employed in poor, rural communities will be discussed, as well as different techniques to evaluate policy and environmental approaches to obesity prevention.

Session Objectives: 1) Describe a community driven approach to bringing about environmental and policy changes for preventing obesity in rural and unincorporated towns. 2) Define the support, training and capacity building needed to engage in obesity prevention efforts in poor rural communities. 3) Discuss the role of PHDs in obesity prevention efforts. 4) Describe a soft systems (or open system) approach to evaluating. policy/environmental approaches to obesity prevention.

CE Credits: CME, Health Education (CHES), Nursing