California Childhood Obesity Rate Falls, but Some Counties Struggling

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A new study released today offers hope that the state may finally be getting a handle on its 30-year battle with childhood obesity, but also showcases a patchwork of progress that leaves the majority of counties in the state still registering increases in obesity rates among California’s school-age children.

According to the study, A Patchwork of Progress: Changesin Overweight and Obesity Among California 5th, 7th and 9th Graders, 2005-2010, prepared by our client, the California Center for Public Health Advocacy, and the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, the percentage of overweight and obese children in the state dropped 1.1 percent from 2005 to 2010. However, 38 percent of children are still affected – a rate nearly three times higher than it was 30 years ago when the obesity epidemic began. Improvements are not being seen statewide, with 31 of California’s 58 counties experiencing an increase in childhood overweight over the five-year period from 2005 to 2010. Want to know how your county measures up?  

The progress being made statewide is encouraging, but there is still work to be done. Implementing policy and system changes to make schools, communities and worksites healthier places for everyone is the right way to go in reversing the childhood obesity trend.

You can access information on this new at http://www.publichealthadvocacy.org/research_patchworkprogress.html.

State Soda Tax Could Be Lifeboat for Fiscally Strapped Counties

For cash-strapped counties struggling to fund vital programs, the state’s proposed soda tax (AB 669-Monning) could be a lifeboat, according to a new county-by-county analysis of how that revenue would be returned to local communities. The proposed penny an ounce tax on sugary beverages would raise an estimated $1.7 billion annually in California. The bulk of those funds – 85 percent or $1.4 billion – would be returned to counties proportional to their population to pay for education and children’s health programs.

“Local communities will be the direct beneficiaries of a soda tax,” explains Dr. Harold Goldstein of the California Center for Public Health Advocacy, which conducted the study to better understand how the monies will be allocated. “A soda tax would return about $233 per student in the county to programs aimed at protecting the health and well-being of children. That’s a smart investment.”

Local schools will be the biggest winners of a soda tax, with about 60 percent of local funds going to the classroom and an additional 20 percent to help pay for improvements to physical education and provide nutritious school meals. AB 669 also carves out another 20 percent of the local funds to pay for local children’s programs like youth sports and afterschool programs.

To learn more about the study and see how much money would go to your county, visit the CCPHA website at: www.publichealthadvocacy.org/revenuestudy.html

Majority of California Voters Support Soda Tax According to Field Research Poll

Even in the midst of what may be the most hostile tax environment in a decade, a statewide poll shows a solid majority of California voters support a soda tax to fund childhood obesity prevention programs in California.

Support for a soda tax was evenly distributed throughout the state:

• Statewide: 56 percent
• San Francisco Bay Area: 60 percent
• Los Angeles County: 61 percent
• Other Southern California counties (including San Diego and Orange): 54 percent

The Central Valley was the only region in the state where less than a majority supported a soda tax (43 percent). What did the Fresno Bee have to say?

The most surprising finding? The level of support among low income voters (those making less than $40,000 per year) at 60 percent and Latinos at 66 percent. "The soda industry often pretends they want to protect the low income and minority communities from higher soda prices, but it's exactly these communities who support soda taxes," said Harold Goldstein, executive director of CCPHA.

The public opinion poll, conducted by the Field Research Corporation and commissioned by the California Center for Public Health Advocacy, surveyed 503 registered California voters by telephone. Click here for more information about the poll.

Florez announces penny per teaspoon soda tax

In the face of a $41 billion statewide obesity epidemic, California Senate Majority Leader Dean Florez today introduced legislation to tax sodas and other sugar-sweetened beverages to fund childhood obesity programs.

The Florez bill would levy a penny for every teaspoon of added sugar in commercial beverages sold. It's estimated the excise tax on beverage distributors would raise $1.5 billion a year for California cities and schools to pay for childhood obesity prevention programs.

A growing body of research highlighting the central role of soda and other sugar-sweetened beverages in driving the obesity epidemic prompted the senator's bill, including a study from one of our client's last year.

"When Michelle Obama introduced her children's health initiative last week she explained that our children didn't do this to themselves," said Dr. Harold Goldstein of the California Center for Public Health Advocacy. "They didn't create an environment where high sugar sodas are the cheapest, easiest drink to find. We did that to them. We have a responsibility to fix it and this bill is the right way to start."

~ Nicole

It’s hard to make good choices in a toxic environment

We here at Brown Miller Communications are firm believers in the idea that unhealthy lifestyles and rising obesity rates aren't just a matter of individuals needing to make better choices. When it comes to discussing the best way to combat the obesity crisis, the loudest voices you hear are often the ones insisting it’s all about personal responsibility – that people are fat because they eat too much and exercise too little. We’ve worked very hard to shift that perception and highlight the role the environment plays in the whole equation.

I was really happy to see “Fighting Obesity May Take a Village” in The Wall Street Journal. Matthew Dalton discusses the new strategy many countries are pursuing to address alarming rates of childhood obesity.

“The idea is that governments must actively work to change environments and reduce the menu of harmful options available in everyday life.”

A European program known as Epode — a French acronym for Together Let's Prevent Childhood Obesity — began in two French towns in 1992 and successfully lowered childhood obesity rates (from 11.2 percent in 1992 to 8.8 percent in 2004). Obesity rates in two neighboring towns that didn’t institute the program rose from 12.6 percent to 17.8 percent during the same time period. The program has spread to other communities in France as well as Spain, Belgium, Greece and Australia. It’s time programs like this are embraced here.

Over the summer, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published its first list of recommended community obesity-prevention strategies, but did caution that because the concept is so new there’s not much evidence to prove that it actually works. According to The Wall Street Journal article, experts say “a community-based approach to fighting obesity is probably the most promising policy available.”

It’s time to take the ball and run with it. There sure can’t be any harm in trying.

~ Nicole

Contra Costa County Family Doctors Take Stand Against American Academy of Family Physicians

There's been a lot of outrage over the news that the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) is now partnering with Coca-Cola to "create educational materials to teach consumers how to make the right choices and incorporate the products they love into a balanced diet and healthy lifestyle." A group of physicians in our own backyard called out the organization for their blatant betrayal of children's health.

"I am appalled and ashamed of the partnership between Coca-Cola and the American Academy of Family Physicians," said Contra Costa Health Services Director Dr. Walker. "How can an organization that claims to promote public health join forces with a company that promotes products that sicken our children?"

Dr. Walker, who has been a member of the AAFP for 25 years, formally resigned from the organization today and tore up his membership card. His fellow doctors also spoke out against the soda industry and how it conflicts with local efforts to prevent obesity.

"An organization like the AAFP should be taking a leadership role in helping consumers and especially young people make really good choices about what to eat. We need as much help as possible to get our communities to see past the false claims of companies like Coca-Cola," said Dr. Walker.

Bravo doctors! It's so refreshing to see individuals put their foot down and value the health of our communities rather than just making as much money as possible.

~ Nicole

Kick the Can and Go Soda Free this Summer!

Mounds of evidence show that sugar-sweetened beverages contribute to skyrocketing rates of obesity and diabetes, especially among children. This summer, Bay Area children and adults are encouraged to rethink their drink choices and choose healthier beverages, such as water, low-fat milk, and 100 percent fruit and vegetable juices, over sugary sodas and other sweetened beverages.

The Soda Free Summer campaign, launched by the Bay Area Nutrition and Physical Activity Collaborative (BANPAC), comprised of over 300 health and nutrition professionals, helps residents enjoy a summer without the un-needed calories of sweetened beverages.

The campaign includes Be Sugar Savvy educational workshops, presentations and exhibits on soda and other sweetened beverages for teachers, youth groups, and community and health organizations. These individuals will then take the message to the public via posters, brochures and Soda Free Summer pledge cards. There will also be a raffle for a bike and $500 of healthy grocery certificates.

But the real winners will be those who change their drinking habits. According to the survey results from last year's campaign, over 5,000 Bay Area residents sent in pledges to go soda free for the summer.

For more information about Soda Free Summer, visit www.sodafreesummer.org and follow the campaign on Facebook.

~ Nicole

Putting information right where you need it

Even though California lawmakers are struggling to reach a compromise with the state budget, they were able to agree on an important public health issue -- menu labeling.

Earlier this week, legislators sent SB 1420 to the Governor's desk. Once the governor signs SB 1420 into law (yes, I'm taking the optimist role here) all chain restaurants with 20 or more locations in California will be required to post calorie counts on menus and menu boards by 2011.

While it may not change waistlines overnight, it certainly is a step in the right direction in fighting our country's rampant obesity epidemic.

~ Nicole