Changing the Landscape to Prevent Childhood Obesity
Kansas City’s Childhood Obesity Collaborative-Weighing In
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We Heard from You!
Issues and Challenges Identified:
Focus on schools– Assure healthy food and beverage
options,
– Increase physical activity levels of students
– Provide training to school staffs
Issues and Challenges, cont.Share Information
– Members– Policy makers and – General public
Continue collaboration– Continue networking opportunities– Set clear goals and objectives to facilitate
collaboration and avoid duplication of effort
Valued WI Functions
Provide training & technical assistance
– Provide resources to support actions, including recommendations on best materials
– Identify strategies to overcome obstacles
– Provide information on best practices, local efforts and lessons learned
Valued Functions
Communicate – Establish consistent messages and talking
points on childhood obesity– Publish periodic childhood obesity status reports– Coordinate media or social marketing
campaigns– Conduct regular meetings to support networking– Compile positions papers on WI priorities
Valued Functions
Market – Coordinate marketing of collective efforts to
address childhood obesity in KC– Provide opportunities for member
organizations to market their programs and services
Valued Functions
Assess and Plan
– Track and monitor key measures and indicators of childhood obesity for the Greater Kansas City Area
– Facilitate planning sessions
Valued Functions
Implement and Evaluate
– Host interactive forums with policy makers on priority issues
– Track actions and provide status updates
Collaboration Valued
98% of responders agree or strongly agree that
participation in WI collaboration is useful
97% stated it was essential to address childhood obesity
95% would like to collaborate more on common initiatives
Desired Collaboration Characteristics
97% want to evaluate the collaboration results
97% want to track and share collaboration results
95% want training for leads and active participants
93% want resources to support efforts
93% want clearly written objectives, plan and timeline
90% want formal arrangements between key organizations and individuals implementing the plan
Current Actions• Assessing KC’s collective childhood obesity
prevention capacity• Established website• Updating Strategic Plan• Will provide leadership trainingSupported by Health Care Foundation – GKC funding
• Establishing Childhood Obesity Metrics• Will convene systems mapping process• Will provide targeted training
Early Childhood Working Group Mission
Provides a community forum to focus on children, ages 0-5 years, and implement viable approaches in a deliberate, thoughtful manner
to address childhood obesity
Primary Audience for current priorityChild care providers, key decision makers for early childhood policies, programs/services and food and fitness environments and other agencies that support child care settings
Secondary Audience
Children up to five years of age and their parents/caregivers, women, preconception through pregnancy
under five
Guiding principles for selecting strategies
Addresses the problemEvidence-backedMeasurableViable for Kansas CityCollaboration improves impact and effectiveness
Strategy Review
Broad Initial Review
• Focused on all early childhood issues
• Have not researched all available resources, programs and approaches for all strategies– next step for the top priorities.
Top Ten Targets for EC1. Improve support for breastfeeding
2. Improve healthy meals in child care
3. Decrease sugar-sweetened beverages
4. Increase physical activity in child care
5. Improve access to recreation & play
6. Increase number of child care facilities with wellness policies
7. Increase proportion of women with appropriate weight gain during pregnancy
8. Increase participation in nutrition assistance programs
9. Reduce screen time
10. Increase ‘smart meals’ in restaurants
Child Care Setting priorities
Top Child Care Issues
Child care emerged as key setting to focus efforts and following priorities identified:
I.Survey Child Care Providers
II.Implement steps to enhance policy, environments and practices for healthy eating and active living
III.Provide training
IV.Provide breastfeeding friendly environment
Examined Priorities in Detail to Inform Our Next Steps
• Who or which agencies already support this strategy?• Who else needs to buy-in?• Benefits of this strategy?• Current opportunities available that support this
strategy?• Are there barriers to implementing?• How could barriers be minimized?• How feasible is this for the Kansas City Area on a scale
of 1 to 10?• Do you recommend that we pursue this for Kansas City?
Current Priority—Child Care Providers Survey
What do we want to know?
• Nutrition and physical activity practices, policies and environments;
• Obstacles and barriers to healthy food and fitness environments and practices;
• Priorities for viable actions among child care providers in the KC community; and
• Resource and training needs
Next Meeting-May 24, 2011Early Childhood Working Group
KC Childhood Obesity Collaborative-Weighing In Child Care Survey, April 25, 2011
Survey Purpose To determine nutrition and physical activity practices in child care settings. To determine biggest obstacles and barriers to enhance food and fitness environments within child care settings. To identify priorities for action that are viable among child care providers To determine resource and training needs to advance strategies to prevent childhood obesity in child care settings.
Methods: Family and Group Child Care Homes Child Care Center
Who will complete survey Family child care home or group home provider Directors or Site Managers at child care centers
Method to collect Hard copy distributed and collected at trainings E-mail child care providers through existing groups with
link to survey on-line o Family Conservancy o Family Day Care Home Associations
Distributed by CACFP Home Sponsoring Organizations
E-mail request through existing networks:
o Head Start o YMCA o Family Conservancy o CACFP list serves
Demographics wanted Zip Code of facility
Type of facility Number of children in care Age range of children (or do they care for
infants/preschool/school-age Length of time in child care field Participate in CACFP—yes or no Licensed—yes or no
All of items for Homes Number of staff at facility
Target Audience: Representative sample of licensed child care facilities in the Greater Kansas City Area
Licensed Homes, Group Homes and Child Care Centers in the Greater Kansas City Area (April 2011) Licensed
Homes Total
Capacity Licensed
Group Homes
Total Capacity
Licensed Child Care Centers
Total Capacity
Total Capacity At All Facilities
Cass County, MO
31
310
1
20 22
1,854
Clay County, MO
44
430 -
- 42
4,270
Jackson County, MO
181
1,800
7
126 173
14,569
Platte County, MO
13
128 -
- 15
1,443
Wyandotte County, KS
114
1,034
75
889 53
3,202
Johnson County, KS
704
6,629
154
1,844 188
17,144
TOTAL
1,087
10,331
237
2,879 493
42,482
55,692
Obesity Prevention Schools Committee
Primary AudiencesK-12 school staff-administrators, teachers, school food and nutrition services personnel
Community agencies supporting schools
Secondary AudiencesSchool-age children and their families
Vision
School-age children enjoy optimal growth and development in the Greater Kansas City Area
where active living and healthy eating is supported for all.
Mission
Schools and community agencies collaborate to shift the social norm and enhance school policies, environments
and practices so students in the Greater Kansas City Areaincrease physical activity and
improve healthy eating to prevent and address childhood
obesity.
Desired Outcomes for the Schools Committee
• Network map of resources• Baseline assessment• Plan for action• Means to track progress• Benefits document• Consistent messages• Increased number of schools
meeting Healthier US School Standards
• Strengthened partnerships
Guiding Principles
• Evidence based or promising practice• Focus on use and redirection of existing
resources in view of economic conditions• Systems approach• Sensitive to multiple demands in school setting• Empower and equip the adults in the child’s life• Provide options that can be tailored to schools
unique needs.
Sample messages
• Healthy eating and physical activity are among the most effective interventions for the prevention and treatment of obesity and other chronic diseases.
• Academic success is better in healthy and physically active students.
• Schools are a mirror of the community—can’t modify actions in schools in isolation of community-wide norms
School Committee Meeting June 7, 2011
Obesity Prevention School Committee Charter
Vision:
School-age children enjoy optimal growth and development in the Kansas City area where active living and healthy eating is supported for all.
Mission:
Schools and community agencies collaborate to shift the social norm and enhance school policies, environments and practices so students in the Greater Kansas City Area increase physical activity and improve healthy eating to prevent and address childhood obesity.
Long Term Goals:
Decrease rates of childhood obesity in children. Increase physical activity levels and enhance healthy
eating among school-age children. Influence life-long health habits by assuring:
o Core nutrition, physical and health education; and o Supportive food and fitness policies and
environments in the school setting. Enhance overall academic achievement.
Desired Short-Term Outcomes:
Network map of resources available to support schools. Kansas City plan to enhance school policies,
environments and practices. Mechanism to track progress and determine what is
working. ‘What’s In It for Me’ document that outlines rationale for
involvement of collaboration partners Consistent message document for use by schools and
community partners on food and fitness issues impacting students and actions being taken.
Increased number of schools that meet the Healthier US School standards—at any level.
Strengthened school and community partnerships to provide and maximize use of resources to achieve goals.
Undesired Outcomes:
Another layer of activities that don’t produce results Fragmentation Competition among partners Unrealistic promises Schools not engaged
Primary Audience
K-12 school staff-administrators, teachers, school food and nutrition services personnel
Community agencies supporting schools
Secondary Audience:
School-age children and their families
Guiding Principles
Focus on viable evidence based strategies. Innovate and embrace promising practices where
evidence is lacking to address prominent problems. Focus on use and redirection of existing resources in view
of the current economic conditions. Create transparent processes and host thoughtful,
engaging and deliberate discussions to create and implement the plan.
Build systems approach that considers the needs and perspectives of entities that comprise the school system (e.g., students, families, school staff, school administration, community agencies serving and advocating for schools; oversight institutions)
Design strategies and interventions that appropriately address the social, emotional and mental health issues.
Strive for synergy, collaboration and alignment of resources to support priority strategies.
Feed demand that adds value and starve ideas/activities that don’t have genuine value.
Be sensitive to the multiple demands in a school setting. Work to empower and equip the adults in the child’s life. Make provisions so schools can tailor approaches to
meet their unique and differing needs.
Current Situation:
The childhood obesity epidemic threatens our children’s future health and success. While current efforts have not yet reached the needed levels to impact the upward trend line of obesity rates in the Greater Kansas City Area, collaboratives are strategizing on how to improve their collective efforts. Schools are a clear focus for obesity prevention efforts given: 1) the access to children for significant amounts of time in their daily lives, 2) the mechanisms for education and reinforcement of healthy behaviors, 3) the mounting evidence on actions to take in the school settings to improve the food and fitness environment; and 4) the enhanced academic success experienced by physically active and well-nourished children. The Obesity Prevention Schools Committee formed by forging the schools committees of Building a Healthier Heartland, the Food Policy Coalition and Kansas City’s Childhood Obesity Prevention Collaborative-Weighing In. The respective chairpersons of these formerly separate committees recognized the value of unifying efforts to support viable and effective strategies in the Greater Kansas City Area schools.
LETS CHAT
QuestionsQuestions from the Audience?
If time allows:• What are priority issues from a Federal perspective for
nutrition education that are important for Kansas City to address in both child care and school settings?
• From your experience, what factors contribute to a school’s success in the nutrition education arena?
• What USDA supports are available to help overcome barriers being faced in school settings in relation to improving physical activity and healthy eating?
• What actions is your office taking in the “advocacy” area?
Next Weighing In Dates
May 24, 2011, 3:30-5:00 p.m.Early Childhood Working Group Meeting, Don Chisholm Center
June 7, 2011, 10:00 a.m.-NoonSchools Committee Meeting, Diastole Scholars Center, 2501 Holmes, Kansas City, MO
Next Quarterly Meetings: September 26th, 2011, 8:30 a.m.December 12, 2011, 8:30 a.m.Don Chisholm Center
Need more information?
Contact Deborah Markenson
[email protected], 816-234-9223
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