Creating healthy communities through partnerships between local health departments and community organizations

Obesity rates have increased sharply in the United States over the past 30 years, and today nearly one-third of children and adolescents are overweight or obese. Local health officials can play an important role in partnering with local organizations to advocate for and implement policy and environmental changes that will help build healthy communities. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Center to Prevent Childhood Obesity is working with multiple partners across the United States to help reverse the childhood obesity epidemic by changing public policies and creating healthier environments in schools and communities - especially those most impacted by this epidemic. Among these partners is the National Association for County and City Health Official's Big Cities Chronic Disease Prevention Community of Practice – made up of local health officials that represent the 50 largest metropolitan areas in the United States working to collectively develop and implement policy and environmental change to promote healthy living nationwide. The purpose of this interactive session is to: • Highlight the role of public health departments in working with community organizations to improve local nutrition and physical activity environments through policy and environmental changes. • Describe the process of building multi-sectoral partnerships and collaboration. • Provide examples of promising practices for improving community wellness. • Demonstrate the link between federal policy decisions and local implementation. • Distinguish between the processes for advocating for institutional or legislative policy changes. • Offer evidence and examples supporting the impact of policy and environmental change initiatives on improving health outcomes.