250411 Investing in Our Communities: A Partnership between Municipal Leagues and Community Stakeholders

Monday, October 31, 2011: 1:06 PM

Tionna L. Jenkins, MPH , Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Center to Prevent Childhood Obesity, Arkansas Center for Health Improvement, Little Rock, AR
Daniel B. Reimer, MPH , Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Center to Prevent Childhood Obesity, Arkansas Center for Health Improvement, Little Rock, AR
Shelia Dodson , Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Center to Prevent Childhood Obesity, Arkansas Center for Health Improvement, Little Rock, AR
Mayor Chip Johnson , City Hall of Hernando Mississippi, Hernando, MS
Eight in 10 American voters believe childhood obesity is a serious problem. The incidence of childhood obesity has tripled in the past three decades and today more than one-third of children ages 10-17 are obese or overweight. The projected economic consequences are enormous as health-care costs rise as a result of chronic conditions caused by obesity and children grow into unhealthy members of America's future workforce, impacting productivity.

State municipal leagues can play an important role in partnering with local leagues and communities to advocate for and implement policy and environmental changes that will help build healthy communities at the local level. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Center to Prevent Childhood Obesity is working with state municipal leagues in both Arkansas and Mississippi 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.

The purpose of the session: •Highlight the role that both state and local municipal leagues play in working with communities 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 and planning •Demonstrate the link between state 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.

Learning Areas:
Advocacy for health and health education
Biostatistics, economics
Other professions or practice related to public health
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Public health or related education
Public health or related organizational policy, standards, or other guidelines

Learning Objectives:
After attending this session participants will be able to: Identify useful and appropriate roles that both state and local municipal league’s play in community wellness and planning. Understand the process of decision making that shapes local environments and neighborhood activities. Describe the components necessary for successfully implementing policy and environmental changes at the local level. Recognize the interplay between local and federal policy decisions. Describe promising practices that may be replicable in their own communities

Keywords: Community Capacity, Public Health Policy

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I'm qualified to be an abstract author on the content because I serve in the capacity of project lead on several state and local policy projects for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Center to Prevent Childhood Obesity. In addition, I have an extensive background and have served in executive leadership capacities for both local and state policy in many public health arenas (e.g. tobacco policy, mental health and wellness,etc.). In addition, I'm a doctoral candidate, specializing in public policy with emphasis in health policy.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.