Communications tips from Prevention Institute - share your prevention work!

With August Recess winding down, we want to make sure that our legislators continue to hear about the good prevention work our communities are accomplishing. It is up to all of us to speak up and make sure that we are actively shaping the dialogue around community prevention, so that the media and our legislators can understand what we already know: prevention works.

Here is just a sampling of the media coverage our community has accomplished so far during the recess:

• In an op-ed in the Wisconsin State Journal, "Getting kids to eat their vegetables," health educator Maggie Smith captures her community’s resolve to develop local solutions to better the health of their children: “The success that La Crosse County and others implementing Farm to School programs are enjoying could never happen without the commitment, dedication and contributions from the wider community.”
  


• In the Portland Tribune,"We all have a stake in fighting obesity," public health officer Dr. Gary Oxman pens an op-ed effectively responding to a piece that ignored the environment’s role in shaping our health: “…obesity didn’t just 'hit' our community. It took decades of complex and often subtle shifts in what children eat and how much they move.”
  


• In a Miami Herald feature, “Miami-Dade initiatives target childhood obesity,” Penny Parham, Miami-Dade Public Schools’ food and nutrition director, deftly cues the environment first when describing her program’s goals: “We need to give our kids the best foods from which to select and then teach them to want to make the right selections.”



• “New options in store at two tienditas” in the San Antonio-Express News highlights why changing the environment in San Antonio is crucial to changing behaviors and ultimately health outcomes: “People buy what's available. It's easier to walk across the corner to pick up (whole) milk instead of taking two buses in 100-degree weather to buy skim at H-E-B.”

It’s not too late to broadcast your community’s successes, too. Here are the core messages we need to share with legislators and media alike:

• Community prevention is evidence-based.



• Community prevention is local.



• Prevention is good for business.



• Government has a role in public health.



• The American people want prevention.

We’ve compiled all of our media advocacy resources, including talking points, sample op-eds, and messaging and framing strategies in one easy-to-use Media Advocacy Toolkit for your review.

What you can do

• Send a letter to a Member of Congress to educate your legislator about the importance and value of community prevention. Prevention Institute provides easy-to-use, tailored e-mails that you can send directly to your legislator.
  


• Write an op-ed, blog post, or letter to the editor of your local paper.



• Issue a press release highlighting the work taking place in your community.

From Prevention Institute.

Obesity in the News

PE an Unfortunate Casualty of Budget Cuts [Editorial]
Muncie Star Press

May 13, 2011
School programs outside of core academics, such as PE, art and music, are being pitted against each other as they battle to survive. The programs were created not as a luxury, but as a necessity, but inadequate state and federal funding is jeopardizing the development of our children. With our children trending toward obesity and leaving sedentary lifestyles, where the only exercise too many get is texting and working a game console, an argument could be made that PE should be elevated to a core curriculum status.

Schools, State Leaders Tackling Childhood Obesity Epidemic
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
May 27, 2011
Faced with ballooning health care costs, Georgia state leaders, medical providers, schools and others are calling new attention to childhood obesity. Gov. Nathan Deal recently launched the SHAPE initiative -- a statewide program designed to promote fitness and healthy living among Georgia's youth. Starting next school year, districts will give students in physical education classes annual fitness assessments, called Fitnessgrams.

Goodbye Food Pyramid, Hello Dinner Plate
New York Times

May 27, 2011
Whatever you do, don’t call it a pie chart. The Obama administration is about to ditch the food pyramid, that symbol of healthy eating for the last two decades. In its place officials are dishing up a simple, plate-shaped symbol, sliced into wedges for the basic food groups and half-filled with fruits and vegetables.

Appleton Plans to Install 30 Miles of Bike Lanes in Next 15 Years
Appleton Post Crescent
May 21, 2011
Traffic engineers are rolling out a plan that adds bike lanes and routes on 30 miles of city streets over the next 15 years.

What Makes Bad Food So Good? Thoughts on America's Most Obese Region
NPR

May 19, 2011
Holmes County, Mississippi, is the most obese county in Mississippi, the most obese state in America. NPR's Debbie Elliott and filmmaker Dave Anderson of Oxford American reflect on their time there — specifically, on what makes bad food so good.

McDonald's Under Pressure to Fire Ronald
Wall Street Journal

May 18, 2011
More than 550 health professionals and organizations have signed a letter to McDonald's Corp. asking the maker of Happy Meals to stop marketing junk food to kids and retire Ronald McDonald. The letter, slated to run in the form of full-page ads in six metropolitan newspapers around the country on Wednesday, acknowledges that "the contributors to today's (health) epidemic are manifold and a broad societal response is required. But marketing can no longer be ignored as a significant part of this massive problem."

Outagamie County: Press Release for Bike Month

Appleton East and Neenah's Hoover Elementary Gear Up for Bike Month        

Contact: Jennifer Van Den Elzen or Ben Stumpf

Phone: 920-832-4452; 920-284-0917

Email: vandenjl@co.outagamie.wi.us; stumpfbenjamin@aasd.k12.wi.us

May is National Bike Month!  Celebrate this month by biking to work, school, the store, or just leisurely with your family.

Appleton East High School and Hoover Elementary in Neenah are using this month to promote biking and physical activity.  At Appleton East High School, the week of May 23rd is Bike to School Week, and Thursday, May 26th is Bike to School Day. Hoover Elementary will be sponsoring a fun run and bike rodeo on May 27th to celebrate their efforts to build physical activity into their school day.

Both schools are also partnering with local physical activity focused coalitions, the Fitness And Nutrition (FAN) Coalition and Walk to Win, and participating in an Active Schools initiative to get kids up and moving every day and to fight the rising problem of obesity in our nation and state.  Active Schools focuses on environmental or policy changes that can be made in the school setting to help kids meet the recommended 60 minutes of daily physical activity.

“Bike to School Week is a great opportunity for students to get out and ride for fun, fitness or transportation,” said Ben Stumpf, of the Active Schools Grant Team at Appleton East.

Why is this important?

• Physical activity can help children improve their concentration, memory, and classroom behavior.
• Research shows that higher physical fitness is related to higher state academic test scores, higher attendance, and fewer negative school incidents.
• Half of Wisconsin students are getting an F in physical activity recommendations – a grade no parent wants to see.
• Children are increasingly being diagnosed with obesity-related chronic illnesses.
• More than 25% of Wisconsin’s high school students are overweight or obese.

What is being done?

Appleton East and Hoover Elementary are promoting physical activity in the classroom, at recess, at home, and before and after school.  Students have the opportunity to learn the importance of eating healthy and being active. 

Appleton East students and faculty who ride their bikes to school during the week of Monday, May 23 may be able to win prizes, including a bike from Chain Reaction Cyclery of Appleton. Free breakfast will be provided to all participants on Bike to School Day. East High School is also working hard to add more bike parking that is easier to access at the school in order to continue to promote biking year round.

Tips to help keep you safe while biking:

• Keep your bike in proper working order.
• Have your bike checked over by your local bike shop.
• Learn the routine maintenance that needs to be done on your bike.
• Always wear a helmet to protect your head in the event of a crash.
• Ride on the right side of the road, always in the same direction as other traffic.
• Ride as far to the right as practical, not as far right as possible.  Practical means safe and reasonable.
• Obey all stop signs, traffic lights and lane markings.
• Look before you change lanes or signal a turn; indicate your intention, then act.
• Be visible and predictable at all times; wear bright clothing and signal turns.

About the Fitness And Nutrition (FAN) Coalition: FAN grew out of the Outagamie County Community Health Improvement Planning process, which identified nutrition, physical activity and obesity prevention as priority health issues for our county. This collaboration strives to create environments that support and promote healthy eating, daily physical activity, and a healthy weight in the places we live, learn, work and play. We work to build capacity within our community to implement best, evidence-based and promising strategies, identify and enhance communication with non-traditional partners, and create opportunities for program sustainability. In addition to partnering with Appleton East High School on the Active Schools Initiative, the FAN Coalition is working to address rising obesity levels in other schools, the community, and the worksite setting through a variety of partnerships. For more information on the FAN Coalition, or to get involved contact Jennifer Van Den Elzen (vandenjl@co.outagamie.wi.us, 920.832.4452)

About Walk to Win: Walk to Win is an annual community walking program that has been in existence since 2002. The program is heavily promoted to area schools and businesses, but is open to all individuals 5 years of age or older, employed or residing in the counties of Calumet, Outagamie or Winnebago. All participants are challenged to walk 30 minutes a day at least 5 times a week over a 3-month period in the fall. This program is part of the solution to encouraging our citizens to engage in positive behaviors that impact their health. For more information, visit http://www.walktowin.org/.

A sampling of recently released obesity news and resources

Wisconsin
Joint Finance Committee Testimony from Winnebago County’s re:TH!NK Project
Matt Madsen's testimony at the Joint Finance Committee Hearing in Neenah was so powerful, it made the Wheeler Report this week!

National
An Open Letter to President Obama About the Importance of the Prevention and Public Health Fund
Robert Ross for The Huffington Post, April 14, 2011
Health care is a national priority; therefore it requires a national approach. For decades, our health care system has been designed to treat patients once they are sick; now, thanks to the Prevention and Public Health Fund, we are finally beginning to shift to a health care system that will simultaneously prevent and treat sickness. Not only is this approach more affordable, it's more effective. But it will take everyone working together to make it successful.

Where Do Americans Get Their Calories: Infographic
Civil Eats

Getting Physical With Phys Ed
Berkshire Eagle, Amanda Korman, April 14, 2011 Along with [a]new physical education curriculum – which comes from a California-based health program called SPARK (Sports, Play & Active Recreation for Kids) – the [U.S. Department of Education Carol M. White Physical Education Program] grant is going toward changes in school nutrition, exercise equipment and tracking students' progress. The district has dubbed the entire effort "Balancing the Equation," or "physical activity plus proper nutrition equals total health," according to Linda Avalle, the manager of the grant and curriculum coordinator for health and physical education.

Happiness is a Warm Neighborhood: Designing our communities on ‘common ground’ Jay Walljasper for New.Clear.Vision The way we design our communities plays a huge role in how we experience our lives. Neighborhoods built without sidewalks, for instance, mean that people walk less and therefore experience fewer spontaneous encounters, which is what instills a spirit of community to a place.

Manitowoc County CAN and U --> CAN: Public nurses discuss health initiatives with Leibham

Julie Reimer and Amy Storm, public health nurses from Manitowoc and Calumet counties, respectively, discussed the Active Schools Initiative and other health-related issues during a recent visit with state Sen. Joe Leibham.

Coverage in the Herald Times Reporter summarizes the topics covered during the visit. Read the article.

A sampling of recently released obesity news and resources

Wisconsin

Olympians speak to Waupun students
Beaver Dam Daily Citizen, Hank Snyder, 3/22/11
Focusing on health and wellness, Wisconsin Olympians Casey FitzRandolph and Suzy Favor Hamilton came to Rock River Intermediate School Friday to promote a healthy eating and fitness program called "Movin' and Munchin' Schools.”

UW Population Health “What Works” database now available
What Works is a one stop shop for evidence for policies and programs that influence the multiple determinants of health. This tool can help community leaders, coalitions, and others select the most promising strategies to respond to community health priorities. Visit the remodeled web site at www.whatworksforhealth.wisc.edu. This site has many new features, including:

• A user-friendly interface that makes it easier to find evidence-based policies and practices
• Opportunities to share your knowledge about real life implementation of policies and practices
• Color-coded evidence rating scales
• Printable one page summaries of policies and programs
• A cross walk with Healthiest Wisconsin 2020 focus areas

Nationally
(largely adapted from RWJF News Digest: Childhood Obesity)

Midwestern Market Makeover
A Minnesota Hy-Vee grocery store recently unveiled a special checkout lane that features healthy snacks instead of the usual candy bars, soda, cookies and chips, a new feature that could soon premiere in locations across the country.

Colorado School Exercise Requirement Agreement Reached
Associated Press, Christina Dickinson, 03/29/2011
Colorado lawmakers have reached agreement on a proposal to require daily exercise in elementary schools. House and Senate members agreed early Tuesday to a version of a bill requiring 30 minutes of daily exercise to help address childhood obesity. It could soon be headed to the governor's desk.

Surgeon General Says Obesity Crisis Should Be Addressed Together [Op-Ed]
Washington Post, Regina Benjamin, 03/21/2011
Change starts with the choices we make each day for ourselves and those around us. At the same time, there is a growing consensus that we, as a nation, need to create communities and environments where the healthy choices are the easy choices and the affordable choices.

Virginia Governor Vetoes Physical-Education Mandate, Aimed at Fighting Childhood Obesity
Associated Press, 03/24/2011
Gov. Bob McDonnell has vetoed legislation that would have required Virginia’s public school divisions to require physical education in elementary and middle schools, a measure intended to help combat the childhood obesity epidemic. McDonnell nixed the measure Thursday, calling it an unfunded mandate on localities and agreeing with groups representing school boards, superintendents and localities that urged McDonnell to veto the bill out of concerns about the millions in financial and logistical costs of enacting the legislation.

School Health Programs Get Kids, Community in Shape
Tucson Sentinel, Jorge Salazar, 03/25/2011
In the cafeteria, student council members give green bracelets carrying the message "Go for the Green" to classmates who participate in a spin-the-wheel activity that requires them to answer nutrition questions. Gym classes incorporate lessons on skateboarding, rollerblading and other activities students can do to be active outside of school without joining a team. Some days, the school gets a visit from the Activate Tucson "Moving Van," which is filled with hula hoops, balls and Wii exercise games. It all started when the school adopted a school health advisory council under a program for which Pima County received a $15.75 million grant to fight obesity.

County Health Rankings Show There is More to Health Than Health Care

Annual Health Check-Up Highlights Healthiest and Least Healthy Counties in Every State


How healthy is your county? A new set of reports released today rank the overall health of nearly every county in the nation, confirming for the second year the critical role that factors such as education, jobs, income, environment and access to health care play in how healthy people are and how long they live. Rankings include obesity rates, access to health foods, and access to recreational facilities.


How will your coalition use the County Health Rankings to talk about the work you're doing to prevent obesity in your community?


Update:
Outagamie, Calumet counties early high marks in health assessments

April 2, 2011Appleton Post-Crescent 

Sharon Cekada/Appleton Post-Crescent

Outagamie County: "We're really focused on environmental and policy changes that make the healthy choice the easy choice," Melody Bockenfeld, Outagamie County health officer.


Waupaca County: The county's health department and the Extension now lead a NuAct (Nutrition and Activity) Coalition that has received grants to benefit the entire county.
"We wouldn't have been able to do that alone as a health department," said Gail Yest, Waupaca County health officer.

The Waupaca Community Garden — which raises produce for food pantries, senior centers and other outlets — used a federal grant to expand to Weyauwega and Clintonville.

Yest is pleased that access to healthy foods increased from 40 percent to 60 percent this year in Waupaca County, and that access to clinical care — another priority goal — is ranked 10th this year, up significantly from 37 in 2010.

Remember to "Keep it Local" When Planning for JFCs

Guest post written by Spencer Straub, Media & Communications Coordinator for the Wisconsin Tobacco Prevention and Control Program.

This season of Joint Finance Committee hearings is sure to be unlike any other. People from all walks of life throughout all parts of the state will be prepared to discuss a variety of issues, and it's important to be part of that discussion. However, while you're recruiting speakers, writing testimony, and planning JFC trips, don't forget the important role earned media can play in your communications efforts.

With the number of issues sure to be discussed at JFC, don't ignore the impact that a well-written letter to the editor in a legislator's home town paper can have. While many people will be reaching for the microphone at the hearings, not everyone will think to tell their story to the local media.

Letters are just one strategy--try holding an event on your issue and invite your local media to cover it. When effectively planned, local media outreach can effectively complement your JFC strategy.

The best part is, if you're planning your JFC presence, chances are you've already written testimony that can be re-purposed into a letter to the editor. Good letters, just like solid testimony, tell a human story of your issue's impact--or your program's success. Take advantage of your existing resources to maximize your impact.

Sometimes just getting started is the hardest part of writing testimony or letters to the editor. Luckily there are tools to help you get your feet wet. Click here for letter to the editor resources and here for testimony preparation tips to help you get started.

Friday, Feb. 25

A sampling of obesity in the news this week:

Wisconsin

Column: American Heart Month; State of the State
Wisconsin Rapids Tribune, Rep. Amy Sue Vruwink, 02/19/2011 “(Obesity) is a major contributor to heart disease and continues to affect larger numbers of American youth. We must promote physical activity for our children and ourselves in order to maintain healthy lifestyles and communities,” wrote State Rep. Amy Sue Vruwink, D-Milladore.

The problem: Obesity and lack of physical activity
La Crosse Tribune, La Crosse County Health Department, 02/19/2011 “Nearly 1 in 4 high school students and 2 of 3 adults in La Crosse County are overweight or obese. Overweight or obese youth are at higher risk for developing diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease at a young age.

Nationally (adapted from RWJF News Digest: Childhood Obesity)

Hurley Elementary Is Inspiring Students to Run Toward Better Health
Visalia Times-Delta, Hillary S. Meeks, 02/21/2011
Sun or fog, during January and February, youngsters at Hurley Elementary School in Visalia can be seen running around the makeshift track that was created five years ago for the aspiring marathon runners. Four laps, past the basketball courts and through the soccer fields and back around the playground equals one mile. Each time the 1-mile marker is hit, the participating student gets another flip-flop charm to add to his or her necklace of “soles.” Eventually, those charms will add up to 26.2 miles — a full marathon — one mile at a time. About 80 percent of the student body participates, said Julie Berk, the school's principal.

Jackson Elementary Promotes Better Nutrition With Salad Bar
Whittier Daily News, Tracy Garcia, 02/24/2011
They've already amped up their Physical Education program and educated parents about health and nutrition - and now, a new salad bar at Jackson Elementary School is giving upper-graders more of a say in the food choices they make. The portable salad bar, funded by a $3,000 grant from the Kaiser Permanente Downey medical office, was rolled out for the first time last week at Jackson - and it's the first such salad bar in the Whittier City School District.

A sampling of obesity in the news this week:

Wisconsin
Obesity increases risk for life-threatening illnesses
Green Bay Press-Gazette, Steve Contorno, 02/14/2011
“If recent trends continue, Wisconsin costs could as much as quadruple within the decade," said Beth Kaplan, spokesperson for the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.

Column: Obesity prevention program launches
Wisconsin Rapids Tribune, DaNita Carlson, 02/16/2011
“When you stop to think about it, we are surrounded by things that make it easy for us to eat poorly and avoid physical activity. Unhealthy food is cheap and within arm's reach. And we have to search for opportunities to be active. The good news is that in Wood County, we're working to change that,” wrote DaNita Carlson, Wood County Health Department health educator.

Help Make this Real – Wisconsin launches on Facebook.

Nationally
(adapted from RWJF News Digest: Childhood Obesity)

Inactivity Linked to Obesity, Diabetes; Highest in South
USA Today, Mary Brophy Marcus, 02/15/2011
Southern states have the highest rates of inactivity, according to a new government survey that looked at people's physical activity county by county. The new survey by diabetes and obesity researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reflects data collected from 3,141 U.S. counties, from adults who report no physical activity or exercise outside of their jobs.

Separate Bikes-Only Lanes in Cities Cut Injury Rate: Study
HealthDay, Alan Mozes, 02/17/2011
Cyclists using special bike-only tracks that are physically separated from street traffic have fewer accidents compared to bikers pedalling alongside motor vehicles, a new study finds.

Get Your Hot Dogs, Get Your Edamame
Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Norman Draper, 02/15/2011
Can healthy snacks sell at a basketball game? Researchers in Anoka-Hennepin schools are about to find out. Using grant money from the Minnesota Department of Health's Statewide Health Improvement Plan (SHIP), they are supplying concession stands at four of the district's five high schools with healthy snacks.

Pitching a National Story Locally

Challenge Chippewa took the lessons learned at the Dec. 9 Advocacy Training and pitched a national story about dietary guidelines and sugar-sweetened beverages to their local media. The Chippewa Herald ran their story on Jan. 14.

“When people count calories, they too often forget to
include the liquid ones,” said Judy Fedie, RD, CD, registered dietitian for
Chippewa County Public Health. “We need to start thinking of the sugar in
sweetened drinks as wasted calories. These calories provide no nutritional
benefits and can lead to weight gain. Water is a better choice.”

Check out the full story here: http://chippewa.com/lifestyles/food-and-cooking/article_182259f2-200e-11e0-9a89-001cc4c03286.html

Need a refresher on Media Advocacy? Here are some useful resources from the Dec. 9 training.

Media Advocacy PowerPoint
Making a National Headline Local News
Media Advocacy Tips

Or check out these tips for talking to a reporter ...

Tips: Talking to a Reporter from Wisconsin Clearinghouse on Vimeo.

Why is eating good food so hard?

A story created by Jennifer Warpinski from the Fitness and Nutrition Coalition of Outagamie County.

Health Eating Active Living Coalition of Pierce County was named as something that is positively impacting health in River Falls. Read the article in the River Falls Journal:
http://www.riverfallsjournal.com/event/article/id/97172/

A River Falls area health care provider held nine sessions across its Minnesota and western Wisconsin service region. Collective attendance totaled 260 people representing businesses, non-profit organizations, schools and government entities.

Participants were asked what is positively impacting health in their community and what barriers to health exist in their community.

"Those responding cited the things they think positively impacts health in River Falls: The Kinnickinnic River, the Free Clinic, sports activities for youth and adults, the YMCA, and the Healthy Eating Active Living Coalition focused on improving nutrition and increasing activities."

In terms of barriers, "most said cutting physical education in schools has had a two-way negative effect on kids’ health; not only are they not getting exercise in school but also don’t learn the lessons and skills they need to be active."