Two new reports advocate for keeping policy focused on nutrition and obesity

July 9, 2009—Two new national reports urge policymakers to keep efforts focused on nutrition- and obesity-related issues.

F as in Fat 2009: How Obesity Policies are Failing in America, a new report from Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, found that 30 states have childhood overweight and obesity rates at or above 30 percent.  The report is the sixth in a series of annual reports tracking the obesity epidemic in the U.S.  It examines trends in adult and childhood obesity rates, tracks federal- and state-level policies addressing obesity, and offers recommendations for policy action at the national and state levels to address the continuing epidemic.

Mississippi is ranked as the state with the highest percent of children ages 10-17 who are overweight or obese—44.4 percent.  Eight of the 10 states with the highest rates of childhood overweight and obesity are in the South.  The report also found that adult obesity rates increased in 23 states and did not decrease in any states during the past year.  Mississippi also has the highest adult obesity rate (32.5%) for the fifth year in a row.

The report’s key recommendations include: ensuring access to preventive medical services coverage for both children and adults in areas such as nutrition and obesity counseling; increasing access to programs in communities, schools and child-care settings that help make nutritious foods more affordable and accessible and provide safe places for people to engage in physical activity; and promoting proven programs that improve nutrition and increase physical activity among adults ages 55 to 64, which will  ultimately reduce Medicare expenditures. 

The report also calls for a “National Strategy to Combat Obesity” that would define roles and responsibilities for federal, state and local governments and promote collaboration among businesses, communities, schools and families to promote policies that, provide healthy foods and beverages to students at schools, increase the availability of affordable healthy foods in all communities, increase the frequency, intensity, and duration of physical activity at school, and more.

Nutrition education is an important component of any coordinated obesity reduction effort.  The Society for Nutrition Education has released a report, State of Nutrition Education & Promotion for Children & Adolescents, that provides nutrition education professionals, legislators, and other policymakers with the evidence and rationale for promoting a comprehensive nutrition education and promotion initiative as part of the upcoming Child Nutrition Reauthorization.  

The report advocates for developing a strong Team Nutrition Network, a federal program that could:

• Support a strong nutrition education program in every State;
• Provide financial stability;
• Enable efficient and effective collaboration in building multidisciplinary, integrated nutrition and health promotion partnerships;
• Allow States and districts to address their own unique nutrition education and promotion needs;
• Fund qualified professionals to lead these efforts; and
• Ensure local wellness policies are implemented and evaluated.

To access the executive summary and full report for F as in Fat, click here.  To access the full report for State of Nutrition Education & Promotion for Children and Adolescents, click here.  To learn more about school nutrition, physical activity, and childhood obesity, visit NSBA’s School Health Programs website.  

Sources: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation website; Society for Nutrition Education.