Healthy Kids Healthy Communities
Hamilton County Eating Smart and Living Fit
What
Hamilton County Public Health and the Collaborative to Prevent Childhood Obesity has been awarded a $360,000 grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) to improve opportunities for physical activity and access to affordable healthy foods for children and families in several City of Cincinnati neighborhoods, Forest Park, Woodlawn, Lockland and Lincoln Heights. Based on a rigorous selection process that drew more than 500 proposals from across the country, Hamilton County is one of 41 sites selected for the RWJF Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities initiative.
The Hamilton County Collaborative to Prevent Childhood Obesity will build increased community capacity for systems, environmental, and policy change aimed to decrease the prevalence of childhood obesity. The Collaborative will push beyond existing promotions and programs and expand the implementation of policies and environmental change necessary to sustain communities in eating smart and living fit.
Why
In Hamilton County, 22% of third-graders are overweight – higher than the state average – with African-American and Hispanic children significantly more likely to be overweight. The vision is to transform the lower-income neighborhoods of Cincinnati and four other communities into places where residents can easily find and afford fresh fruits and vegetables, where children and families have safe spaces to walk, play and be active.
Hamilton County communities, particularly those comprised of minority and low income populations demonstrating significant health disparities, will be the focus for change. This program will focus on improving opportunities for physical activity and access to affordable healthy foods for children and families in several City of Cincinnati neighborhoods, Forest Park, Woodlawn, Lockland and Lincoln Heights.
How
HCPH will build on a solid foundation to enable community, school and businesses to effectively support increased physical activity and opportunities for healthy eating. The primary goals for this proposal address physical activity and healthy eating policy, systems, and environmental change. The primary goals are to:
- Provide sustainable leadership and coordination of childhood obesity prevention efforts across Hamilton County through the Collaborative to Prevent Childhood Obesity.
- Increase access to affordable healthy foods for minority and low income families through policy and environmental change.
- Expand access and opportunities to be physically active through policy and environmental change.
- Develop a proposal to create a county-wide Body Mass Index Surveillance System to provide ongoing assessment and evaluation.
Schools and communities will adopt shared-use agreements to utilize existing community centers and school grounds for safe and convenient facilities to support an active community environment. The healthy food system will be expanded through healthy vending policies in schools, parks and government facilities, as well as, increased access to fresh fruits and vegetables in community gardens, farmer’s markets and increased choice within convenience stores.
The Collaborative to Prevent Childhood Obesity
The Collaborative to Prevent Childhood Obesity is chaired by Hamilton County Public Health and works to build increased opportunities for physical activity and healthy eating with partner organizations: the Nutrition Council, YMCA of Greater Cincinnati, The Center for Closing the Health Gap, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Lockland City Schools, Cincy After School and Growing Well. The Collaborative strives to enhance policy, systems and environmental change to provide leadership for childhood obesity prevention efforts, increase access to healthy foods, facilitate opportunities for physical activity and establish assessment in the form of a county-wide Body Mass Index Surveillance System.
About Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities
Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities, a national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), advances community-based solutions that will help reverse the childhood obesity epidemic. It focuses on changing policies and environments to support active living and healthy eating among children and families. The program places special emphasis on reaching children who are at highest risk for obesity on the basis of income, race/ethnicity and geographic location. It will support RWJF’s efforts to reverse the childhood obesity epidemic in the United States by 2015.
About the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation focuses on the pressing health and health care issues facing our country. As the nation's largest philanthropy devoted exclusively to improving the health and health care of all Americans, the Foundation works with a diverse group of organizations and individuals to identify solutions and achieve comprehensive, meaningful and timely change. For more than 35 years, the Foundation has brought experience, commitment, and a rigorous, balanced approach to the problems that affect the health and health care of those it serves. When it comes to helping Americans lead healthier lives and get the care they need, the Foundation expects to make a difference in your lifetime. For more information, visit www.rwjf.org.