264302 Pledge the practice, pass the policy: Building organizational change to reduce early childhood obesity

Tuesday, October 30, 2012 : 4:50 PM - 5:10 PM

Jennifer Balogh, MSW, MPH , Healthy and Active Before 5, Concord, CA
Diane Dooley, MD , Contra Costa Regional Medical Center, Martinez, CA
  
     
Healthy and Active Before 5 is a grant-funded community initiative of over 54 agencies focused on reducing early childhood obesity. Not all of our HAB45 partner agencies are "health" agencies, but through their involvement in our Leadership Council meetings and Community Summit they come to understand the impact of childhood obesity and its important community health risks. Obesity may not be their problem to fix, but it soon becomes their job to help. We believe our Healthy & Active Before 5 (HAB45) partner agencies are important mentors and role models for children and families.

In 2010, we challenged our community partners to demonstrate their commitment to change by adopting healthier organizational policies. The “Pledge the Practice. Pass the Policy” framework has prompted 19 major Contra Costa organizations to adopt healthier beverage and food policies and increase breastfeeding support and physical activity promotion. Examples include new 100% healthy vending policies at our local health department, improved breastfeeding accommodation at our local violence prevention program, and a movement and play policy adopted by a local park. We will present useful tools for motivating organizational change, a case study of the successful adoption of a 100% healthy local vending policy and how to use Pledge the Practice, Pass the Policy to build sustainable environmental change within your community.

Organizational change does two things 1) changes real-world food environments for children and adults, and 2) provides important momentum for broader political and social change.

Learning Areas:
Administration, management, leadership
Advocacy for health and health education
Public health or related organizational policy, standards, or other guidelines
Systems thinking models (conceptual and theoretical models), applications related to public health

Learning Objectives:
Assess the impact that model organizational practices and policies can have on the food and physical activity environments and breastfeeding practices of low income children and their families.

Keywords: Organizational Change, Community Collaboration

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am the Executive Director of Healthy & Active Before 5, an innovative childhood obesity collaborative. I act as a liaison to over 50 partner agencies throughout Contra Costa County. I am one of the originators of the Pledge the Practice. Pass the Policy challenge — work which spotlights organizational policy change and inspires community partners to become a role models for healthy eating and good nutrition.
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.

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