Poster

There is growing recognition that environments influence opportunities for eating and physical activity and that obesity is not solely a problem of personal responsibility. Consistent with this new view, in early 2012 at the Weight of the Nation Conference, the Institute of Medicine released a landmark report, Accelerating Progress in Obesity Prevention: Solving the Weight of the Nation. Specific and concrete action steps for reversing the obesity epidemic in the next decade were recommended for five environments: physical activity; food and beverages; message environments relating to physical activity and healthy eating; health care and worksites; and schools. To measure and inform progress in obesity prevention – in both actions and outcomes – a sequel report will be released in July 2013. The purpose of the new report, Taking Action in Evaluating Progress of Obesity Prevention Efforts, is to develop a concise and actionable plan for measuring progress in obesity prevention efforts. Measuring progress depends on both describing the current status of obesity and its determinants such as behaviors, environments, and policies as well as assessing the effectiveness of obesity prevention programs and initiatives to learn more about what works. The 141st APHA Annual Meeting will be the first professional conference for presenting the report findings.

Session Objectives: 1. Discuss the rationale and framework for the IOM report on evaluating progress on obesity prevention. 2. Explain the criteria and methods used to identify indicators for evaluating obesity prevention efforts. 3. Describe the proposed national and community plans for evaluating progress on obesity prevention.