Featured Stories

 10,115,000 People in California Share in Struggles to Put Food On the Table

Shared Tables, Shared Struggles, a report released this month by California Food Policy Advocates (CFPA), draws attention to the estimated 10,115,000 people in California that live in households experiencing a spectrum of food shortage problems.  CFPA combined data on household size and the results from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) statewide survey on the number of food insecure individuals to calculate the number of additional people who “share a table” with those who struggle to meet their daily food needs.

“When one adult member of a household struggles to put food on the table, everyone in the household suffers,” says Ken Hecht, Executive Director of CFPA.  Food insecurity can result in poor health outcomes, increased susceptibility to illness, poor school performance, decreased likelihood of following medications and increased likelihood of obesity.  The federal government provides a number of nutrition assistance programs, such as the Food Stamp Program and the School Breakfast Program, to help low-income families. 

Unfortunately, these programs are severely underutilized in California.  In California, only half of those eligible for food stamps receive them and in Alameda County only 35% of kids who eat a school lunch also eat a school breakfast.  Aside from the missed benefits in terms of improved nutrition and health from using these programs, the state and counties are also missing the federal reimbursements that come with these programs.  California could bring in up to $2,885,268,275 with stronger participation in federal nutrition programs.

“Low-income people are more likely to be overweight, food insecure, and in poor health.  With rising health care costs and rising rates of obesity, we cannot afford to be turning away valuable federal resources to combat these social ills,” says Hecht.  “The future of our children and our communities depend on investments in health and nutrition today.”

Read the full report for county-by-county details on the struggles of California households trying to put adequate food on the table.

 Op-Ed Calls on Government, the Private Sector and Schools to Support Nutrition and Activity Environments

San Jose City Councilman Ken Yeager states “One thing is clear: Solving a problem as massive in scope as childhood obesity can't be accomplished in small, timid steps. Government, the private sector and schools must do more if substantial change is to occur.”  In his November 21, 2007 op-ed in the San Jose Mercury News, Councilman Yeager emphasizes the role of the environment in shaping behavior, and the responsibility of government and community institutions to promote and protect community health. The Councilman has been playing close attention to improving nutrition and activity in his community, championing legislation requiring healthy food and beverages vending machine options in all city owned and operated locations and working with other local elected officials in Santa Clara County to determine other government strategies to improve healthy eating and physical activity.   

To read Councilman Yeager’s op-ed, click here.

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Local Spotlight

Brentwood, CA Passes City Wellness Policy

On November 13, 2007, the City of Brentwood City Council approved a 19-point document to improve health in their community.  The policy was originally approved as a guideline and was used to assist City Council and staff as they educated, planned, promoted, and implemented parks, facilities and programs that fostered fitness and wellness in the community. Although the guideline was well received by the community, it lacked the authority a policy represents.  After almost a year and a half of its inception, it is now an official policy. Sue Barry, Recreation Supervisor at the Parks and Recreation Department, said “now we have the teeth we need for implementation, and can really make good things happen for our community.” Please visit the ENACT Local Policy Database and search for the Brentwood Wellness policy for more details and the actual policy language.

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Legislative updates

Menu Labeling Bill Goes National

The momentum to require menu labeling continues despite Governor Schwarzenegger’s recent veto of SB120 (Padilla and Midgen). SB 120, if passed, would have made California the first state in the nation to require fast-food and major chain restaurants to display nutritional information on their menus and menu boards.   U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) introduced the Menu Education and Labeling (MEAL) Act, federal legislation that would require disclosure of calories, sodium, trans-fat, and saturated fat content on printed menus, and calorie counts on menu boards. Small local chains and neighborhood restaurants would be exempt from the measure, as would changing daily specials and special orders.  In opposition is the National Restaurant Association, which contends that restaurants should have flexibility in how they choose to provide nutrition information to customers. The MEAL Act has been referred to the Energy and Commerce Committee.

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In the News

Play Space Linked to Obesity

A recent report released by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health found that overweight children are more likely to live in poorer cities with less park space. The richest cities with the most public open space have the lowest rates of obese children; by contrast, cities with larger low-income populations reported lower ratios of park space to residents and higher rates of obesity.  "Cities and communities play a vital role combating childhood obesity," said Dr. Jonathan Fielding, the county's director of public health and lead medical officer. Although the county has no formal authority over what cities do, several recommendations were made: Create walkable and bikable pathways, establish safe routes to schools so that parents don't have to drive children, and recognize efforts by groups that support healthy lifestyles. View the news article.

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Forbes Publishes List of “America’s Most Sedentary Cities”

In an exciting new study linking nutrition and physical activity patterns to the built environment, Forbes released “America’s Most Sedentary Cities,” which aggregated data on body mass index (BMI), physical inactivity, and television-watching habits for 43 U.S. cities to determine the most sedentary cities in America. Memphis ranked the most inactive, followed by New Orleans, Las Vegas, and Detroit. While the study looked at individual data, it did not overlook the importance of community factors that can support healthy eating and physical activity.  In New Orleans, for example, one of the major challenges has been the slow rebuilding of the 21 of 36 major supermarkets destroyed in the hurricane. Since residents rely on junk food filled corner stores, the city recently piloted a program to stock 13 corner stores with fresh fruits and vegetables and other healthy products. These types of efforts highlight actions cities can take to promote healthy eating and physical activity by improving factors such as the availability of healthy foods, neighborhood safety, walkability, and transit options.

 To read more about what cities are doing view the full article.

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Resources

Childhood Obesity Prevention Summit Webcast Archives Now Available

The very first Childhood Obesity Prevention Summit convened by Leadership for Healthy Communities and The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation met on October 18-19, 2007, in Washington, D.C. Elected and appointed officials and other policy leaders from across the country and all levels of government, met to share their approaches to preventing childhood obesity and to discuss innovative partnerships, promising practices and policy-relevant research that can support efforts to create healthier communities. Reviewing the link between obesity and global warming, confronting childhood obesity among vulnerable populations, and identifying promising policy approaches to preventing childhood obesity were among the topics of discussion for the day. Keynote speakers included Gov. Parris Glendening, Sen. Tom Harkin, Sen. Lisa Murkowski, U.S. Rep. Jim Oberstar. 

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Announcements

Stampy Award Nominations (CFPA)

The 2008 Stampy Awards are coming up!  Each year, California Food Policy Advocates honors the year's best achievements in improving food stamps in California. If you know of a group or a person that has made a significant impact in improving food stamps in California, please nominate them by December 3! Contact foodstamps@cfpa.net for more details.

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Upcoming Events

2007 National Prevention and Health Promotion Summit: Creating a Culture of Wellness

November 27-29, 2007, Washington, DC

California Food and Justice Coalition Member Meet Up

December 10, 2007, Sacramento, CA

December 11, 2007, Oakland, CA

Making Change Matter: Maximizing the Health Impact of the New WIC Foods

January 16,  Los Angeles, CA

BEAT Institute (Built Environment Assessment Training Institute)

June 15-20, 2008, Atlanta, GA

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Thanks for reading!  The Strategic Alliance is currently engaged in building a broad and diverse statewide membership.  If you were forwarded this e-mail and want to receive your own copy in the future, please click here or e-mail carol@preventioninstitute.org.  And if you’re already a member, please forward this message to your colleagues so we can continue to strengthen our coalition.  Thank you!

WHAT IS THE STRATEGIC ALLIANCE?

The Strategic Alliance is reframing the debate on nutrition and physical activity away from a focus solely on individual choice and lifestyle towards one of environmental influences and corporate and government responsibility. Current Steering Committee members are: California Adolescent Nutrition and Fitness Program (CANFit), California Center for Public Health Advocacy (CCPHA), California Food Policy Advocates (CFPA), California Pan-Ethnic Health Network, California Park and Recreation Society (CPRS), California Project LEAN, California WIC Association (CWA), Child Care Food Program Roundtable, Latino Health Access, Partnership for the Public’s Health, Prevention Institute, Samuels & Associates, and YMCA of the East Bay.

The Strategic Alliance is supported by funding from The California Endowment.

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