Surveillance of obesity-related policies in a statewide sample of local organizations: Barriers to policy implementation

Understanding the role of policy in addressing the obesity epidemic, especially at the local level, is central to developing effective public health interventions. Yet little is known about local policies that address obesity. To fill this gap, we partnered with the Kansas Health Foundation and the Health Care Foundation of Greater Kansas City to take a snapshot of policies across urban and rural settings in 74 counties in Kansas.  Using stratified random sampling, project analysts collected policies from childcare, afterschool, worksite, and community settings and evaluated them for strength, comprehensiveness and quality with a modified version of the Community Health Living Index. Preliminary results show that obesity-related policies were present in 37% of childcare settings, 15% of afterschool programs, and 1% of worksites. In settings that lacked obesity-related policies, data were collected on barriers to policy development and implementation. The most common barriers were “(lack of) relevance to the organization” (n=99) and “time involved” (n=63); “lack or limited support of the organization” (n=31) was the least frequently reported barrier. These findings suggest the need for targeted and persuasive information on how worksite wellness programming and policies are beneficial to organizations and businesses; and resources to address a perceived lack of time. Findings will also describe the types of policies found most and least frequently. This project can serve as a model for states interested in using and understanding policy to promote population health and in partnering with communities to create healthier environments where people play, work, and live.