A recent US National Research Council report, Local Government Actions to Prevent Obesity provides a nice summary of the kind of interventions that have the best potential to tackle childhood obesity.
According to the press release: “Many of these steps focus on increasing access to healthy foods and opportunities for active play and exercise. They include:
– providing incentives to lure grocery stores to underserved neighborhoods;
– eliminating outdoor ads for high-calorie, low-nutrient foods and drinks near schools; requiring calorie and other nutritional information on restaurant menus;
– implementing local “Safe Routes to School” programs;
– regulating minimum play space and time in child care programs;
– rerouting buses or developing other transportation strategies that ensure people can get to grocery stores; and
– using building codes to ensure facilities have working water fountains.”
So, here’s the dream team you’d need for a comprehensive attack on obesity at the local government level:
– an incentive manager;
– a regulator;
– a building code planner;
– a nutritionist;
– a transport planner;
– an educator;
– a courageous politician or two to drive these changes through; and
– a facilitator, to pull it all together.
