Success Story - Successful Food Forums
May 2006
Mobilizing the Community to Increase Access to Healthy Food
Clark County Successful Food Forums, Fall 2006
Disease(s): Obesity, Diabetes
Sector: Policy development work which is cross cutting and includes all sectors: Community, Worksites, Schools and Health Systems.
Objectives:
- Obesity: To decrease overweight and obesity among community residents
- Nutrition (Diabetes): To increase access to healthy food by building community infrastructure towards:
- Development of Food Policy Council;
- Increasing healthy food options in vending and student stores.
Methodology:
Nutrition: Community approach to engage policy makers, broaden stakeholder group and develop local infrastructure for increased fruit and vegetable intake via three food forums/workshops. Collaborative efforts aimed at increasing opportunities for access to healthy foods and providing healthy competitive foods. Food sustainability policy work formation to occur via community coalition work.
Sources:
- WA DOH. Nutrition and Physical Activity: A Policy Resource Guide. February, 2005.
- Washington State Nutrition and Physical Activity Plan: Policy and Environmental Approaches. June, 2003.
- Guidelines for Comprehensive Programs to Promote Healthy Eating and Physical Activity, Chapter 2. “Environmental, Systems, and Policy Change.” Association of State and Territorial Public Health Nutrition Directors:
Contact Information:
Barbe West
Executive Director, Community Choices
1101 Broadway Suite 120
Vancouver, WA 98660
Public Health Issue:
Obesity
One-quarter of all adults in Clark County are considered obese, far from meeting the target goal of 15 percent. More than one-third additional adults are considered overweight (37 percent) for a combined total overweight/obese adult population of 62 percent. Clark County rates are very similar to rates statewide and nationwide. The rate of overweight or obese adults has risen since the mid-1990s. Clark County statistics show that a greater percentage of adult males (about 70 percent) are either overweight or obese compared to females (about 50 percent). [Source: BRFSS]Adult Fruit and Vegetable Consumption
Eating plenty of fruits and vegetables can help ward off obesity, heart disease and stroke, aid in controlling blood pressure and cholesterol, reduce the risk of diabetes, and prevent some types of cancer. Few adults in our country consume an adequate amount of fruits and vegetables to realize these benefits. The latest dietary guidelines call for five to thirteen servings of fruits and vegetables a day, depending on a person’s caloric intake.In 2005, only 25 percent of Clark County adults consumed five or more daily servings of fruits and vegetables. The Clark County rate is similar to both the Washington State rate of 24 percent and the US rate of 23 percent.
Percent of adults who ate 5 or more servings of fruits and vegetables per day.
Source: U.S., WA State and Clark County BRFSS.Youth At Risk for Overweight and Youth Fruit and Vegetable Consumption
Obesity in children and adolescents is a serious issue contributing to many health and social consequences that often continue into adulthood as well as have a significant financial impact on the healthcare system and workplaces. As with adults, there has been a dramatic increase in the percent of youth who are overweight in recent years. Poor nutrition is a risk factor for preventable diseases among youth.In 2004, one out of four of eighth graders in Clark County was either overweight or at-risk of becoming overweight. Only one out of four eighth graders and one out of five twelfth graders consumed five or more servings of fruits and vegetables daily. These rates are similar to the rates for Washington State.
*Percent of youth who ate 5 or more servings of fruits and vegetables per day.
Source: WA State Healthy Youth Surveys.
Intervention:
Steps to a Healthier Clark County convened three community workshops in Fall 2006 aimed at increasing access to healthy food. Each workshop targeted a distinctly different audience:
- Food policy makers;
- Healthy food options in Student-run Stores (high schools); and
- Community wide healthy vending options.
The workshops addressed differing aspects of the same question: How can we, as a community, work together to ensure access to healthy food within our community and enhance the healthy food options that are currently available? All workshops began with the goal of forming and enhancing relationships, sharing information, and discussing the opportunities and challenges of assuring access to healthy food options that are affordable, nutritious and culturally appropriate throughout the community. By the end of each workshop, these goals were met and exceeded as new partnerships were formed, avenues for collaboration were identified and next steps were defined.
- Healthy Food Forecast: What is Your Role? Convened by Steps on October 5th.
- This event provided a forum for elected officials, farmers and agricultural experts, health system leaders, school administrators, land-use specialists, food service executives and nutrition experts to connect and identify many of our community’s food and nutrition issues. There were 63 attendees.
- A keynote address by Mark Winne, a national expert on food security and food policy, provided an overview of common gaps in community food systems and various ways that communities have addressed these problems.
- A panel of local experts in community nutrition, agriculture, and food service discussed regional aspects of food access and security.
- A small group discussion revealed interest and support for forming a local food policy council. The necessity of a community needs assessment was also identified.
- Feedback from this workshop drove the development of a Steps Food Policy Council Team which will focus on a community food assessment and preliminary action toward developing a Food Policy Council for Clark County in Steps years 4 & 5.
- Success of this workshop was measured by the number of attendees, evaluation results and the continuing participation of attendees in Steps efforts listed below.
- This event provided a forum for elected officials, farmers and agricultural experts, health system leaders, school administrators, land-use specialists, food service executives and nutrition experts to connect and identify many of our community’s food and nutrition issues. There were 63 attendees.
- The New Student Store Frontier convened by Steps on October 25th.
- The goal of this workshop was to promote solutions for selling healthy foods and beverages in local student-run high school stores. A group of 83 high school students, staff and parents participated.
- Dr. Monica Dixon, R.D. Ph.D., opened the workshop with a discussion of nutrition, obesity and how choices that teenagers make today will impact their health for a lifetime.
- Presentations on socially responsible marketing and healthy food product options followed.
- Students from Spokane, Washington shared how they revised their student store model last year to successfully promote healthy foods and beverages.
- The event culminated with the announcement of The Student Store Marketing Challenge in which area high schools may compete for one of three cash incentives provided by Steps to a Healthier Clark County. Steps incentives will assist in funding the implementation of a healthy food marketing plan the following school year. Competing schools will submit a marketing campaign for their student store highlighting healthy food and beverage options that meet the schools’ or Steps Clark County’s nutrition guidelines. Further, schools must conduct an educational campaign in conjunction with a store promotion to highlight the benefits of a healthy lifestyle. They must also research fellow students’ attitudes toward healthy food options and determine the benefits of the educational campaign.
- Success of this workshop was measured by the number of attendees (83), completion of baseline ‘Clark County Student Store Survey Report’, evaluation results and the number of schools opting to compete in the Marketing Challenge. To date, three of the four school districts that participated in the workshop have submitted applications to participate in the Challenge.
- The goal of this workshop was to promote solutions for selling healthy foods and beverages in local student-run high school stores. A group of 83 high school students, staff and parents participated.
- Good to Go: Healthy Vending in Clark County convened by Steps on November 30th.
- The goal of this workshop was to strengthen relationships between customers, vendors, distributors and product manufacturers and jointly explore the possibility of collaborating on a regional program for healthy vending. Because the participation of vending operators is critical to the success, sustainability and consistency of a healthy vending program, Steps Access to Healthy Food Team convened this workshop. This workshop included 40+ representatives from all major vending companies, food distributors, healthy food product manufacturers as well as many worksites, health care organizations, government offices and schools that house vending on their sites.
- Presentations by Steps’ nutrition consultant, vending customers, operators and distributors created a collaborative atmosphere of mutual information sharing, respect and discovery.
- A neutral facilitator led discussion of the challenges and opportunities to be faced in developing a healthy vending program.
- The workshop concluded with buy-in from all present to continue working as partners in creating a regional program for healthy vending.
- Success of this workshop was measured by the number of vending-related organizations participating, evaluation results and participation of vendors as new Steps partners.
- The goal of this workshop was to strengthen relationships between customers, vendors, distributors and product manufacturers and jointly explore the possibility of collaborating on a regional program for healthy vending. Because the participation of vending operators is critical to the success, sustainability and consistency of a healthy vending program, Steps Access to Healthy Food Team convened this workshop. This workshop included 40+ representatives from all major vending companies, food distributors, healthy food product manufacturers as well as many worksites, health care organizations, government offices and schools that house vending on their sites.
Outcomes:
These three healthy food forums represented effort by Steps to a Healthier Clark County’s Access to Healthy Food Team to enlist community support for each initiative.
To date outcomes include:
- Healthy Food Forecast - 10/5/2006:
- 63 participants including interested residents, elected officials, farmers and agricultural experts, health system leaders, school administrators, land-use specialists, food service executives and nutrition experts.
- 32 completed event evaluations.
- Decision to proceed with formation of Clark County Food Policy Council. A Steps work team has been established to initiate this work. A Community Food Assessment will be conducted in 2007/08 and will determine the future focus of the Council.
- 13 new individuals indicated interest in becoming involved in Steps efforts on this subject.
- The New Student Store Frontier - 10/25/2006:
- 83 participants representing high school students working in student stores, faculty and parents from 4 school districts.
- 71 completed the baseline Student Store Survey distributed to participants at the commencement of the workshop. The Clark County Student Store Survey Report validates that students’ knowledge and attitudes toward availability of healthy products is not sufficient to drive healthy food sales. Further encouragement and implementation of student store healthy food policies are needed.
- 39 completed the event evaluation.
- Three out of four school districts that participated have submitted applications to compete in the “Healthy Food Challenge”.
- Good to Go: Healthy Vending in Clark County - 11/30/2006:
- Over 40 participants representing government and private worksites, school districts, vending companies, food distributors and manufacturers and health care organizations.
- 22 completed event evaluations.
- The Steps Healthy Vending Team is incorporating new volunteer partners from the vending industry to develop Steps’ nutrition guidelines into a regional healthy vending program. Outputs will include:
- Plans for labeling and marketing healthy vending;
- A “formulary” of healthy options;
- Plans for training vending employees; and
- Development of a “Healthy Vending Toolkit” for worksites and schools
