Illinois State Obesity Action Roadmap

Elissa Bassler, MFA

CEO, Illinois Public Health Institute

An Alliance for Change

The Illinois Alliance to Prevent Obesity (IAPO) is a statewide coalition comprised of a broad range of stakeholders working for a state-level response to the obesity epidemic. The IAPO works to shape and advance solutions to reverse dangerous obesity trends.

IAPO supporters believe that Illinois must respond to the obesity epidemic by developing coordinated systems, policy improvements and investment on the scale of the problem.

• Active Transportation Alliance• American Association of Retired People-Illinois (SC)• American Cancer Society – Illinois Division• American Heart Association-Greater Illinois (SC)• American Lung Association of Illinois• American Medical Association (SC)• Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois• Building a Healthier Chicago• Caterpillar, Inc.• Chicago Department of Public Health (SC)• Chicago Hispanic Health Coalition (SC)• Consortium to Lower Obesity in Chicago Children

(CLOCC) (SC)• Cook County Department of Public Health (SC) • DuPage County FORWARD Initiative• Heartland Human Care Services (SC)• Illinois Academy of Family Physicians • Illinois Action for Children (SC)• Illinois African American Coalition for Prevention• Illinois Association for Health, Physical Education,

Recreation and Dance

*SC denotes Steering Committee members

• Illinois Association of Public Health Administrators• Illinois Chapter of the American Academy of

Pediatrics • Illinois Dietetic Association (SC)• Illinois Department of Public Health• Illinois Hospital Association• Illinois Local Food & Farm Coalition • Illinois Maternal and Child Health Coalition • Illinois Public Health Association (SC)• Illinois Public Health Institute (SC)• Illinois State Alliance of YMCAs (SC)• Midwest Business Group on Health• Northern Illinois Public Health Consortium • Ounce of Prevention Fund • Salud Latina/Latino Health• Southern Illinois Healthcare (SC)• University of Illinois Chicago Health Policy Center• University of Illinois Chicago School of Public

Health• Voices for Illinois Children

Leadership Council

A Year in Review

• January 2010: Inaugural Meeting• February-March 2010: Obesity Prevention Initiative Act

Public Hearings (Chicago, Springfield, Carbondale)• March 2010-September 2010: Building IAPO

– Develop a State Obesity Action Roadmap that outlines policy and environmental change strategies to reduce the obesity trend in Illinois.

– Build a visible statewide movement to reduce obesity. – Raise obesity reduction and prevention to the top of the policy and public health

agendas – Disseminate and promote best practices and current information

• September-November 2010: Regional Forums• December 2010: State Obesity Action Summit• January 2011: Leadership Council finalizes roadmap

IAPO Principles

• We need regular and reliable information about the state of obesity in Illinois to understand where action is needed the most.

• Local, collaborative initiatives exist and are demonstrating how to make an impact on the problem, but inadequate funding means they are limited in scope, with limited capacity for evaluation and expansion to scale.

• There is growing national consensus on effective strategies to combat obesity which are not currently employed in Illinois.

• A state-level response is needed. Development of coordinated systems, changes in policy and investment on the scale of the problem must be undertaken.

• National recommendations

• Leadership Council

• Regional forums

• Obesity prevention initiative public hearing testimony

• State Health Improvement Plan (SHIP)

Developing a State Obesity Action Roadmap

Roadmap Criteria• Policies and environmental change strategies should be bold and meet the scale

of the problem. Some Roadmap strategies may have longer-term timelines to allow for building necessary political will.

• Policies, programs or environmental change initiatives must be supported with evidence based on (1) emerging best practices; (2) emerging national consensus; and (3) local consensus around particular policy strategies.

 • Policies pursued need to be consistent with the policy development, organizing

and advocacy capacity that exists or can be built within IAPO and its supporting organizations.

 • Policies have the potential to build buy-in and acceptance from community &

leadership.

 • Special attention will be given to recommendations that build on existing programs

and/or infrastructure within the state.

Goal: Ensure that trends in obesity in Illinois are stable by 2015 and

moving downward by 2018 through promotion and adoption of nutrition

and physical activity policy and environmental change

interventions.

IAPO State Obesity Action Roadmap2011-2014

IAPO State Obesity Action RoadmapObjectives

• State-level obesity prevention resources and infrastructure

• Increased consumption of healthy vs. unhealthy food and beverages

• Healthy and affordable food consumption• Increased access to healthy food retailers• Increased physical activity• Safe and active transportation• Healthy and active workplaces • Promote obesity prevention through hospitals and health

care systems

IAPO State Obesity Action Roadmap Policy Agenda 2011-12

1. Advocate for the allocation of $10 million in capital funding to the Illinois Fresh Foods Fund.

2. Implement a “gold standard” statewide child obesity data collection system.

3. Conduct community mobilization, engagement and education about the relationship between sugar-sweetened beverages and obesity and how revenue generated from a tax on sugary beverages can benefit community and state-level obesity prevention efforts.

How the State Alliance of YMCAscan support IAPO

• Organizational support – Steering Committee, Leadership Council, other work groups, etc.

• Endorse policy initiatives that are supported by the State Alliance of YMCAs

• Spread the word

• Join the network

www.preventobesityil.org

info@iphionline.org