Over the past four years, Central California Regional Obesity Prevention Program (CCROPP) partners and community stakeholders have joined together to create healthier communities in California's San Joaquin Valley. Their critical work around major food and physical activity policies and environmental changes will be presented at this year's 137th American Public Health Association (APHA) annual meeting and exposition in Philadelphia, PA. The conference will be held from November 7-11 and represents the largest and oldest gathering of public health professionals across the world.  View a full list of CCROPP presentations 

Contributing Writer:
Liz Schwarte (Samuels & Associates)

 

Samuels & Associates is pleased to announce the availability of the CCROPP Phase I Evaluation Report, Executive Summary and Presentation. The three documents are available on the Samuels & Associates web site at www.samuelsandassociates.com. This report summarizes and synthesizes the evaluation data collected to-date and reports on the cross site and site-specific interventions.  The reports can also be found on The California Endowment's website: www.calendow.org under Publications/Disparities/Obesity. 

 

On Oct. 2, the Kings County Community Development Agency received an honorable 2009 San Joaquin Valley Blueprint Award for their non-traditional approach to Smart Growth principles.  The development agency is a partnership between the Kings County Department of Public Health and the Kings County Planning Department.  The two agencies developed a series of roundtables aimed at making the direct connection of public health to the built environment.  Collectively they worked on updating general plans and establishing a mini general plan for unincorporated communities like Kettleman City, Armona, Stratford, and Home Garden, that had been left behind.  Community members were involved in this planning process, allowing for more equitable policies that address health disparities and promote healthy food and physical activity environments. 

 

Two schools are taking it back to an old school approach and reviving a concept called "using your feet."  Like many people, community members in the small town of Ceres rely on private transportation to get to virtually most or all of their destinations.  Poor neighborhood design and the lack of safety measures makes it challenging for children to walk or bike to and from school and has limited the community's opportunities for being physically active outdoors. 
 
But a new 'walking school bus' program, is helping to transform the community by calming traffic and tightening up safety  measures for two school neighborhoods.    

 

With the generous support of the California Center for Civic Participation, youth throughout the Central Valley are celebrating their achievements and successes of improving food and physical activity environments. Over the past year, 18 youth throughout the region participated in local, regional and statewide leadership activities led by the Statewide Youth Board on Obesity Prevention (SYBOP), a program of the California Center for Civic Participation.  Under the leadership of SYBOP and the Central California Regional Obesity Prevention Program, the youth developed critical skills necessary to make on the ground changes that would result in healthier communities.  Some of their most notable achievements include: creating safer places to play and be physically active, communicating key challenges of accessing healthy food and physical activity resources to decisionmakers and the media, and implementing school wellness programs.