LiveWell Colorado Communities

Resource: Policy Briefs and Reports from the Convergence Partnership 

The Convergence Partnership, formed in 2006, is a national collaborative committed to promoting and leveraging work across multiple fields and sectors to advance knowledge, resource-sharing, and policy and environmental change that will help build a national movement towards healthy people in healthy places (HPHP). 
 
As a regional affiliate of the Convergence Partnership, LiveWell Colorado has the opportunity to collaborate and share resources with a number of national and regional organizations committed to similar goals.  
 
Recently, the Convergence Partnership made a number of valuable resources available to organizations in the healthy eating active living space.  Here is a quick overview of the reports, policy briefs and other documents available at the organization’s website, www.convergencepartnership.org:
 
This report by PolicyLink and Prevention Institute, which was commissioned by the Convergence Partnership, is a guide to how healthy, equitable transportation policies can improve the quality of life for everyone, and in particular for vulnerable communities. 
 
In an effort to further illuminate the opportunities and barriers transportation policy creates for building healthy communities, PolicyLink and Prevention Institute published an edited volume with details and depth into the intersection of transportation, equity and health. The publication is composed of chapters written by leading academics and advocates from across the nation covering topics from public transportation, walking and bicycling, to safety and economic development. The book highlights key policy solutions and provides background on the federal surface transportation policy. 
 
This policy brief authored by Prevention Institute is part of a larger strategy to identify high impact approaches that will move the partnership closer to its vision of healthy people in healthy places. 
 
This document offers a comprehensive and cross-cutting review of policy, strategy, and program recommendations to realize the vision of healthy people in healthy places. Prevention Institute developed this document for the Convergence Partnership after conducting extensive research and numerous interviews with diverse stakeholders and constituencies. 
 
This document outlines a range of organizational practices and public policies being considered to improve quality and quantity of physical activity among our nation’s children and youth. It is part of a larger strategy to identify high-impact approaches that will move the partnership closer to its vision of healthy people in healthy places.
 
For more information about the Convergence Partnership, visit www.convergencepartnership.org.
 

Early Childhood Education

Report: Lasting Effects of Short-Term Training on Preschoolers’ Street-Crossing Behavior
 
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, children need at least 60 minutes of exercise per day to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Walking to school is an easy way for children to fulfill this requirement, but the issue of pedestrian safety has many parents driving them to school instead. 
 
However, a recent study published in Accident Analysis & Prevention has shown that preschool children’s street-crossing behavior can significantly improve with short-term training. 
 
The study included 40 children, ages 4-5. The children were separated into three experimental groups and one control group, and learned about traffic safety based on one of four learning styles. The experimental groups learned street-crossing rules via a game, song or story, while the control group was taught using traditional teaching methods. Each group participated in weekly 15-minute lessons over the course of one month. 
 
The children were tested both before the training and six months after the training. The tests measured their knowledge of street-crossing concepts and their behavior in an actual street-crossing situation.  
 
The study found that:
  • All three experimental groups showed signs of improvement in behavior
  • The group that used a game as a teaching method showed the most significant improvement
  • All three experimental groups retained the same level of improvement after a six-month period
According to the researchers, these results suggest that a small amount of training can improve a child’s street-crossing behaviors. 
 
To view an abstract of the study, visit http://tris.trb.org/view.aspx?id=914204.
 

K-12 Education

Weld County Schools Are Battling Obesity One Meal at a Time

Contributed by Bobbie Puckett, RD, LiveWell Program at the Weld County Department of Public Health and Environment
 
As the chill of fall looms upon us, Weld County schools are serving up their own versions of comfort foods in healthy homemade student meals. However, a not so comforting reality is that one in three American children is overweight or obese, a rate that has tripled over the past three decades. National media attention of this growing concern has called for a renewed focus on the quality and nutrition of school meals. Armed with aprons and spatulas, Weld County school district nutrition professionals are taking a stance in the battle against childhood obesity. 
 
Sandy Guyette, food service supervisor at District RE-1 in Gilcrest, is taking the nutrition of her school meals seriously. 
 
“We serve fresh fruit and vegetables on a daily basis,” she explained.
 
Cooking healthy meals from scratch has always been a tradition in RE-1 kitchens. Kid-pleasing dishes such as homemade lasagna, fresh baked pizza, and savory chili are just a few of Sandy’s specialties. Even more impressive is that these recipes are made with nutritious ingredients such as low-fat cheeses and whole grains. A new addition to this fall’s menu will be oven roasted broccoli, a creative twist on an old school meal standard. During the summer, Sandy implemented training for her staff to learn new techniques of cooking fresh fruits and vegetables in ways that are enticing to picky student palettes. 
 
“All of my staff and I are really excited to be doing something good for the kids,” Sandy said, adding that she is even able to incorporate some locally produced foods into her menus. 
 
Lori Hause, food service director at District RE-7 in Kersey, is also busy expanding her already extensive menu of nutritious scratch recipes. In addition to hand-made pizza, chicken enchilada casserole, and chicken gumbo, future school menus will include roasted chicken and potatoes. As many school districts still cling to pre-packaged and convenience foods, Lori proudly proclaimed, “We’ve completely done away with chicken nuggets.” 
 
Although RE-7 already makes their own breads and pizza crusts, they are currently developing whole wheat recipes. Lori’s staff is also experimenting with different types of beans as a rich source of protein and fiber. This year, Lori was able to partner with the Future Farmers of America program to utilize fresh produce from their extensive school garden. A partnership, Lori said, that will be continued in the future. 
 
“We are incorporating a lot more fresh produce on the lunch line and in the daily salad bar,” Lori said.
 
Scratch cooking is making a comeback in school kitchens all over Colorado with the help of this summer’s Cook For AmericaTM School Food Boot Camps, which were hosted by LiveWell Colorado. Both Sandy and Lori have incorporated new techniques learned at the camps into their own kitchen routines. Using fresh ingredients to create meals from scratch can significantly lower the fat, salt, and sugar content while increasing fiber, vitamins and minerals. Transitioning from pre-packaged foods into scratch cooking also affords kitchen staff the creativity to develop tasty dishes and hone their cooking skills. Healthy food grows healthy kids!
 

Higher Education

Colorado School of Public Health Interns Get Involved with LiveWell Communities

The Colorado School of Public Health is committed to outreach activities within Colorado communities.  The school’s active involvement with LiveWell Colorado communities through its internship program allows for a greater connection between the school and the community as well as the opportunity to build bridges between universities and neighborhoods in order to build safer, healthier communities.
 
In an effort to learn more about what these interns are doing out in the communities, we had them answer a few questions about each of their projects, Heather Kennedy, MPH candidate, works with LiveWell Commerce City and LiveWell Wheat Ridge; Nicole Swaggerty, MPH candidate, works with LiveWell Commerce City; and Maria Rojas, MPH candidate in community and behavioral health, also works with LiveWell Commerce City. Check out what these interns had to say below.
 
What work are you doing with the LiveWell communities?
 
Heather Kennedy: I have developed two unique projects to engage youth in HEAL work:
  1. In partnership with the staff from Partnerships for Healthy Communities in Commerce City, I am working with a group of students from Adams City High School and adults from Community Health Services and Adams 14 School District to develop a manual called “YOUth Initiating Nutrition Changes (INC) at School.”  The manual will provide youth with the steps to create policy changes that will reduce barriers to healthy eating at school.  This work, which is supported by a Community Engagement Partnership Development grant from the Colorado Clinical Translational Science Institute (CCTSI), will continue through December 2010.
  2. During the spring of 2010, I worked in partnership with LiveWell Wheat Ridge to develop and implement four youth input activities that engaged students from Wheat Ridge Middle School.  For example, the youth gave vital information about how they travel to and from school.  They also participated in a visioning exercise on how to support more active community environments and urban agriculture on and around the school grounds on 38th Avenue.  This information will be fed into the 38th Avenue Community Input Sessions this fall and will build the framework for the 38th Avenue Subarea Plan. During the summer of 2010, I also developed an investigation tool called “YOUth Investigating Nutrition Changes at School” which will be implemented in fall of 2010 with 10-15 students from Wheat Ridge Middle School. 
Maria Rojas: I am planning and implementing farmers’ markets at a Commerce City elementary school to raise funds for a school garden and to help increase access to fresh fruits and vegetables to Commerce City families.  The farmers’ markets also support local Colorado farms by utilizing only fresh Colorado grown produce.  Collaboration with Slow Foods Denver staff as well as elementary school staff and students proved essential for the development and success of the markets.
 
Nicole Swaggerty: I will assist in the coordination of eight youth farmers’ markets that will be held at Adams 14 elementary schools.  The purpose of the youth farmers’ markets is to increase access to fresh fruits and vegetables to Commerce City community members and support local farmers.  We also hope to demonstrate a community interest in farmers’ markets and to engage the youth in the market activities. 
 
How does your work with the LiveWell community or communities help you better understand public health? 
 
HK: By working with two forward-thinking LiveWell Colorado communities, I have been able to pursue my passion for actively engaging young people in the public health problems and policies that impact their lives.  As a result of the success of these projects, more communities are interested in how they can engage youth in their healthy eating and active living work.  I have also been able to apply my MPH training in public health theory, community needs assessment, and evaluation to real experiences to advance important policy-based community projects. 
 
MR: Working with LiveWell Colorado offers opportunities to work with diverse communities in Colorado and to strengthen ones skills toward public health intervention strategies to promote healthier populations.  Additionally, it has shown me that partnerships and team building is crucial to the success of public health promotion and intervention in underserved communities. 
 
NS: My work in Commerce City will help me develop new skills and strengthen public health competencies, such as collaborating with community partners to promote the health of the population.  This experience will also help me better understand how the environment plays an important role in the health of the community. 
 
What other exciting news would you like to share about your projects? 
 
HK: Both tools for engaging youth in reducing barriers to healthy eating at school, “YOUth Investigating Nutrition Changes at School” and “YOUth Initiating Nutrition Changes at School,” will be available after they are piloted (likely spring 2011).  The four community input activities for engaging youth in community redevelopment projects are available upon request. 
 
NS: There were no farmers’ markets in Commerce City before the youth farmers’ markets were piloted last year.  Also, there are many fruit and vegetable growers in close proximity to Commerce City, but their produce is often not available in the community.  By successfully implementing these markets, we are proving that farmers’ markets can work in any community. 
 
“Since 2008, Partnership for Healthy Communities has hosted over 12 undergraduate, master’s level and doctoral candidates. Maria Rojas, Heather Kennedy and Nicole Swaggerty, three students from the Colorado School of Public Health, have helped us pilot innovative community-based programs. P4HC relies on the enthusiasm and risk-taking spirits of the student interns,” explains Merrick Weaver, executive director of a LiveWell Colorado grantee organization in Commerce City, Partnerships for Healthy Communities (P4HC).  P4HC is a non-profit, community-based organization with a mission to build teams that advance community health and wellbeing.
 
For more information about the Colorado School of Public Health, visit http://ucdenver.edu/academics/colleges/PublicHealth/Pages/welcome.aspx.  To inquire about internship and practicum opportunities with P4HC, contact Merrick Weaver at 303-422-2483 or mailto:merrick@p4hc.orgmerrick@p4hc.org. 
 

Worksites & Businesses

DC LEAN Works! Program: Leading Employees to Activity and Nutrition 

The Centers for Disease Control recently rolled out a free web-based resource called “LEAN Works! Leading Employees to Activity and Nutrition”.  The series provides interactive tools and evidence-based resources for employers to design an effective worksite obesity prevention and control program.  Workplace obesity prevention programs not only reduce obesity in employees and lower healthcare costs, they also help lower absenteeism and increase employee productivity.  
 
In 2008, the annual healthcare cost of obesity in the United States was estimated to be as high as $147 billion a year.  Medical expenses for obese employees are estimated to cost companies 42 percent more than an employee whose weight is considered healthy.  Health conditions related to chronic obesity such as type 2 diabetes, stroke, coronary heart disease and certain types of cancers are responsible for a large increase in health care spending by employers.  In fact, chronically obese individuals spend 77 percent more money on medications than non-obese individuals. 
 
A recent survey of employers found that the number one reason to implement such a program was to increase the health and wellness of their employees.  Successfully implemented programs also have the potential to positively affect the health of employee’s dependents (spouses and children), thus further reducing healthcare costs to the employer.  Programs such as the CDC’s can work for companies of all sizes. 
 
The more a company puts into the planning phase of the project, the better chance for a positive outcome.  The CDC’s LEAN Works! program encourages companies to include the following when entering the planning phase of the project:
  • Integrate the program into your organization's mission and policies
  • Maintain commitment and participation from management and key stakeholders 
  • Encourage employee involvement in the planning and implementation of obesity prevention activities
  • Obtain adequate resources and funding
The CDC program is free and available to anyone who is interested in making a positive impact on the health of their employees.  For more information, visit http://www.cdc.gov/leanworks for step-by-step guidelines on planning, implementing and assessing a successful workplace obesity prevention and control program.
 

Healthcare

Study Finds Link Between Lack of Sleep and Obesity

Infants and young children who are not getting enough sleep may experience an increased risk of becoming obese before adulthood.
 
A recent study that appeared in the September issue of Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine notes that nighttime sleep is crucial for these infants and young children. The study included 1,930 children aged 1 month to 13 years. Researchers first began collecting data in 1997 and followed up in 2002. At the follow up in 2002, 33 percent of participants aged zero to 4 and 36 percent of participants aged 5 to 13 were in fact obese or overweight. 
 
In the younger children, the lack of nighttime sleep was associated with subsequent weight gain. Researchers suggest that the lack of nighttime sleep affects brain regions that regulate both tiredness and metabolism, thus affecting a child’s possible weight gain.
 
With these particular findings, the study notes that sleep duration for infants and young children is a “modifiable risk factor with potentially important implications” for preventing obesity. At the follow-up, the study found that the lack of nighttime sleep was a definite factor in a shift from normal weight to overweight and from overweight to obesity.
 
“These findings suggest that there is a critical window prior to age 5 when nighttime sleep may be important for subsequent obesity status,” the study’s authors, Janice F. Bell and Frederick J. Zimmerman, write.
 
The authors call out that a lack of nighttime sleep may affect certain brain regions that regulate tiredness and metabolism in infants and young children. Napping, or daytime sleep, does not seem to solve the problem of too little sleep at nighttime.
 
For more information about the study, visit Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine’s website and see the article titled “Shortened Nighttime Sleep Duration in Early Life and Subsequent Childhood Obesity.”
 

Local Health Agencies

Stanford University Researchers Receive 12.7 Million to Study Childhood Obesity
 
Researchers at Stanford University and Lucille Packard Children’s Hospital have gained a significant financial boost to help children lose weight.
 
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) recently announced that it would fund two major research initiatives to combat childhood obesity, one of which is the Childhood Obesity Prevention and Treatment Research Program led by Thomas Robinson, MD, MPH, of Stanford University. The initiative, which received a 12.7 million dollar grant from NIH, aims to find a more effective treatment program for obese and overweight children.
 
According to Robinson, the treatment plan that will be tested in the study is unique because it uses a community-based model.
 
“The treatment study we are developing will test a new model of community-based treatment linking primary care providers, after-school programs, home environment and family dynamics,” Robinson said in an interview with Stanford University’s Scope blog. 
 
Robinson also explained that children are less likely to be motivated by the idea of getting healthy. Instead, children are more likely to engage in active activities that are fun. Past programs Robinson has used for weight-loss treatments include: 
  • Ethnic dance classes for girls, which incorporate social interaction, building cultural ties and performance with physical activity
  • Athletic teams specifically for overweight children, which allows participants to feel like a part of a team and build friendships rather than focus on competition and physical ability
  • After two years of pilot research and development, the proposed treatment program will be tested on 240 obese and overweight children between the ages of 7-12. Half will receive the new treatment plan, while the others will receive standard care plus an after-school program. The participants will receive three years of treatment, a time period that Robinson said is “unheard of” in research.   
The new treatment plan will involve: 
  • Diagnostic evaluations and medical attention from their existing primary care providers 
  • Specially designed community after-school programs that teach healthy eating and exercise habits
  • Home visits to make their living spaces conducive to weight loss
To learn more about the Childhood Obesity Prevention and Treatment Program, you can view the following articles:

Community Planning, Recreation & Transportation

Free Webinar: Active Transportation & Health: Learnings from a Summer Cycling in Portland

In a webinar co-presented by LiveWell Colorado and Kaiser Permanente Colorado, Dr. Eric France, chief of population and prevention services at Kaiser Permanente, will share his insights from spending the summer on sabbatical at Portland State University, learning about the fifteen year transformation of Portland into the most bike-friendly large city in the U.S.
 
The webinar will be Monday, October 11, 2010, from 12-1 p.m. MDT.
 
 

Food Systems & Retailers

From Farm to Plate: A Look at the Northern Colorado Regional Food System Assessment

Organ systems, ecological systems, or any other type of system each have moving parts that work together, rely on one another, and need to independently fulfill specific roles in order for the entire system to function. 
 
A food system is no different. In order for a community’s food system to function well, it’s important for communities to understand how each of the moving parts work and how changes in different areas can lead to systemic improvements.  
 
The Northern Colorado Regional Food System Assessment will do just that by studying the state of Northern Colorado’s current food system. Then, using the assessment as a baseline, assessment participants will make recommendations ‚Äì with the community’s benefit at top of mind ‚Äì that will enhance the overall system.  Participants include Larimer County, Boulder County, Weld County, Colorado State University & Extension, and the Fort Collins Downtown Development Authority.
 
A final report is expected by the end of this year. The report and assessment will address the following areas within food system:
  • Food and agricultural production
  • Food processing and distribution
  • Marketing, consumer choices and access
  • Consumption and public health 
The food system assessment has been in full swing since spring 2010. During the spring and summer, CSU researchers have collected data related to four elements of the food system: 1. inputs to agriculture (including land, water, labor and financing); 2. agricultural production; 3. processing, distribution and marketing; and 4. public health, nutrition and food security. Additionally, several open houses have taken place to share data and receive feedback from community members.
 
“It is exciting to see the community come together to understand the regional food system,” commented Linda Hoffmann, project coordinator. “We are fortunate to have both strong agricultural roots and an awareness of the benefits of local food. This study is helping to identify the many ties between those assets.”
 
Strengthening the local food system is a key goal of the assessment. Through the assessment, participants will document their needs and possible means to fulfill those needs in anticipation of upcoming state and federal programs designed to fund local food systems.
 
Northern Colorado Regional Food System Assessment participants hope to create a stronger food system by reinforcing existing components and establishing new ones. The assessment will help participants develop an understanding of the existing food system and its relationship to public health entities, economic development and community members’ quality of life.
 
Feedback related to the assessment is welcome via the website’s feedback forms; visit www.larimer.org/foodassessment/ to fill a form out at anytime through the end of the assessment.
 

Legislators & Policymakers

Policy News From Around the Nation: Boston May Ban or Restrict Soda Sales in Municipal Buildings

Research shows that over the last 30 years Americans consumed 278 more calories per day even as physical activity levels remained relatively unchanged. One of the biggest changes in diet during that period was the enormous increase in soda consumption, accounting for as much as 43 percent of all new calories.
 
In an effort to impact the effect soda has on escalating obesity rates, the City of Boston is considering implementing a policy that would restrict or prohibit the sale of soft drinks and other sugar-sweetened beverages in city buildings, the Boston Globe reports.   Though no formal policy has yet been drafted, the city has convened leaders from multiple sectors to develop “a policy that aims to reduce consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages.”
 
This move follows precedents set by San Francisco, whose mayor issued an executive order banning the sale of sugary drinks, and New York, which has established standards for vending machines that favor healthier options such as water.
 
 
For more information about the City of Boston’s public health initiatives, visit http://www.cityofboston.gov/publichealth/