City Leaders Recognized at Childhood Obesity Prevention Summit

At a May 7 awards dinner, a distinguished group of public health experts and leaders honored New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, Columbia, Mo., Mayor Darwin Hindman and San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom for their efforts to promote healthy eating and active living as they seek to reduce childhood obesity in their communities. Also receiving awards were Hamilton County, Tenn., Mayor Claude Ramsey and Rio Grande City Consolidated Independent School District Superintendent Roel Gonzalez.

Quality of Life Costs “Staggering”

NLC President Kathleen Novak, mayor of Northglenn, Colo., presented the award to Mayor Hindman for his work in promoting non-motorized transportation options.  

“We have a serious crisis with chronic disease resulting from lack of recreation,” said Hindman. “The cost in quality of life is staggering.  It makes the money we invest in getting people to get out and be active look puny.”

Mayor Hindman’s leadership in the acquisition of a $25 million federal grant to fund the development of a walking and biking trail network helped connect the city’s neighborhoods to businesses, schools, shopping centers and recreation areas.

“The most significant thing is that it gets people active and it improves their health,” said Hindman.

“The rise in childhood obesity rates has a major impact on local health systems, governments and quality of life,” said Mayor Novak. “NLC’s partnership with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation enables us to identify and promote solutions to build healthier communities.”

Multi-Sector Approaches Needed

Burnsville, Minn., Mayor Elizabeth Kautz presented the award to Mayor Newsom for his leadership in improving healthy eating behaviors, increasing access to healthy foods and promoting physical activity among children and youth. Mayor Newsom asserted that “there is no magic bullet” that will reverse rising obesity rates, a consistent theme repeated throughout the summit.

Mayor Ramsey echoed the message that action is required across a broad range of issues, stakeholders and policy areas. “Every sector of government should be thinking about what we have to do to make the world a little healthier,” said Ramsey.

As the nation embarks upon an unprecedented effort to expand health care coverage, Mayor Newsom and other speakers insisted that health reform must focus on prevention.

“I am proud that we are the first city in the country to have a universal health plan for everyone,” said Newsom, whose Healthy San Francisco initiative is focused on access to primary and preventive care.

During a breakfast on action strategies held the following day, Somerville, Mass., Mayor Joseph Curtatone discussed his city’s partnership with the school district and Tufts University on ShapeUp Somerville, a comprehensive strategy for combating childhood obesity.

“Children are the best indicator of whether your policies are working or not,” said Mayor Curtatone.

With a theme of “Building a Bridge to Policy Action,” the summit featured numerous other city speakers and panelists: Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett; Baldwin Park, Calif., Councilmember Marlen Garcia; Albany, Ore., City Manager Wes Hare; Jackson, Tenn., Parks and Recreation Director Tony Black; Seattle Public Health Program Manager Eric MacDougall; Chicago Public Health Department Commissioner Terry Mason; and Decatur, Ga., Planning Director Amanda Thompson.

Strategies for Building Healthy Communities Available

The summit also marked the launch of the Leadership for Healthy Communities (LHC) Action Strategies Toolkit, a comprehensive resource containing policies, programs and strategies for promoting physical activity and improved nutrition.

With support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s LHC initiative, NLC’s Institute for Youth, Education, and Families (YEF Institute) has helped strengthen the capacity of municipal leaders in building communities that promote health and quality of life for children and their families.  The YEF Institute’s action kit for municipal leaders on Combating Childhood Obesity provides a menu of action steps that cities can take, ranging from forging partnerships with schools and afterschool programs to promoting access to healthy food and reshaping the physical environment.

Details: The Action Strategies Toolkit is available at www.leadershipforhealthycommunities.org/actionstrategies. The YEF Institute action kit is available at www.nlc.org/iyef.  For more information on municipal strategies to combat childhood obesity, contact Lisa Sharma at sharma@nlc.org or (202) 626-3035.