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Advancing Obesity Solutions Through Investments in the Built Environment Proceedings of a Workshop (2018) / Chapter Skim
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5 Considerations and Potential Opportunities for Communities and Organizations
Pages 59-66

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From page 59...
... The remarks of the panelists are organized thematically in this chapter to highlight the potential actions they suggested for communities and organizations. 1 The information summarized here reflects the knowledge and opinions of individual panel ists and should not be seen as a consensus of the workshop; the Roundtable on Obesity Solutions; or the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
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From page 60...
... community. The way you get at that is by having community voice and decision making at that table." She noted that the Reinvestment Fund, with the support of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, has been working in small and midsized cities and towns on an initiative called Invest Health.2 The capacities of these places are very different from those of large cities with respect to resources, skill sets, and access to information, she observed.
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From page 61...
... People spend more than 90 percent of their time indoors, he noted, and "minor improvements in the quality of the indoor environment -- whether it is air quality, natural light, views to the outside, being able to get up and walk around, take the stairs -- things like that can have a huge value [to a worksite] ." EVALUATING IMPACT Fulton observed that implementing programs is essential, "but we need to show that they work." For that reason, she noted, evaluation can be built into programs to establish a foundation of evidence.
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From page 62...
... I would love to see those stories translated to key audiences in emotionally compelling ways." Lavrenz stressed that framing messages correctly is critical when facilitating healthier communities. For example, he observed that when communities are hit by natural disasters, the process of rebuilding can be framed in terms of healthy, safe, and resilient communities.
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From page 63...
... Because of the complexity of the problem, she said, advancing obesity solutions requires considering a "whole bundle of problems and solution sets that can address all those strategies." OVERCOMING BARRIERS Finally, the panelists discussed some of the many barriers communities may face in addressing the issue of obesity through changes in the built environment. Smith cited funding as one significant barrier.
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From page 64...
... "Those kinds of policy implications were never considered or given significant weight until recently," he said, noting that at the local level, decision makers set much of the design and overall planning policy that influences these systems. He argued that "simply providing education can go a long way toward demonstrating how all those different moving pieces interact with one another and what some of those trade-offs are." Fulton stressed the importance of greater understanding of why some policy options are not being implemented in particular communities or regions of the country.
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From page 65...
... It is not just about the built environment, but also other types of infrastructure like transportation and how does a truck of food or fresh produce get to places over long distances." Vinluan added that the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has a long history of dedicating resources to changing the built environment and creating optimally healthy communities, and it is now looking at how it can leverage assets in communities, especially in rural areas, to increase economic pathways that would also benefit health. "All of these are connected issues," she said.
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Key Terms

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  • lavrenz cited

  • action steps
  • building partnerships
  • reinvestment fund
  • workshop session
  • champions program

  • smith focused
  • creating optimally
  • healthier foods
  • fulton suggested
  • including transportation

  • significant barrier
  • makers set
  • otherwise remain
  • people work
  • original assumptions

  • solution sets
  • adopted complete
  • streets policies
  • vinluan added
  • financing initiative


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