5. What we do
Voices for Healthy Kids® is working to engage,
organize & mobilize people to improve the
health of their communities and help all children
grow up at a healthy weight.
• Building a movement across the nation
• Funding campaigns to change public policy
• Empowering advocates to improve the health of
their communities
6. The 5 Big Bets
• Ensuring all children enter kindergarten at a healthy
weight
• Making a healthy school environment the norm and
not the exception across the United States
• Making physical activity part of the everyday
experience for children and youth
• Making healthy foods the affordable, available, and
desired choice in all neighborhoods
• Eliminating consumption of sugar-sweetened
beverages before the age of 5
7. Our Approach
National policy
outcome goals with
state and local
alignment
National best
practice campaigns
Coordinated use of
tools and training
across campaign
efforts
Strong investment
in state and local
policy campaigns
Prioritized policies
and technical
assistance for each
state and local
obesity coalition
National coalitions
focused on state
and local priorities
8. Junk Food Marketing in Schools
Nevada: State policy now requires all marketing
in schools to align with Smart Snacks standards
Rhode Island: AHA; Bill passed the Senate June
11th, needs to pass House by end of June
Oregon: Upstream Public Health; Bill died in
committee
Connecticut: AHA; Bill died in committee
9. Lessons Learned
• Many legislators – and parents/community
members – don’t understand what marketing is
and don’t ‘see’ it until prompted
• Need more stories, photos & examples for both
junk food marketing AND success stories
• Constitutional challenges in Oregon
• Technical questions about the impact on coupon
redemption programs, support of local
businesses and loss of revenue to schools,
implementation concerns
10. Looking Ahead
• Anticipate final Wellness
Rule will include elements
of junk food marketing
• States will need to do
something – now is the
time to take action and set
strong standards in place
11. Campaign Resources
• Toolkits: Don’t Sell Us Short
– Campaign Basics & Resources
– Key Messages
– Sample Op-eds, LTEs, Action Alerts, Social Media Posts, etc
– Fact Sheets (Healthy Alternatives)
– Case Studies and success stories
• Model legislation, 50 state scan, Baseline Analysis
• Media Advocacy & Message Research
• Grassroots Strategy & Support
• Access to national experts & technical assistance
12.
13. Ensure junk food marketing practices
“Don’t sell us short™” by encouraging
unhealthy eating in the next generation
From the moment children in [STATE] board the school
bus to the moment they’re dropped off at home, kids are
bombarded by advertisements and other marketing,
most of which encourage our children to consume soda
pop, candy, and other junk food while they’re at
school…away from their parents.
14.
15.
16. Join Us Today
@Voices4HK facebook.com/voicesforhealthykids
www.VoicesforHealthyKids.org
Email me: Stephanie.tama-sweet@heart.org
Hinweis der Redaktion
My name is Stephanie Tama-Sweet and I’m the Western Regional Campaign Manager with Voices for Healthy Kids. I have worked in state and local advocacy efforts for over 8 years, the last 4+ with the American Heart Association. In my current role I support our funded campaigns in the Western portion of the US and am the AHA Policy lead on issues related to School Nutrition Policies and Marketing.
My role here today is to provide a brief overview of Voices for Healthy Kids, including our policy priorities and work on Junk Food Marketing across the states,
I am here to tell you that change can happen. Unfortunately for our kids today, that change is not always good. Over the last several generations, this country has changed dramatically. We’ve engineered physical activity out of our daily lives and to a large extent removed it from our schools. Unhealthy foods are being sold in larger portion sizes and at lower prices, while it remains difficult for many families to access healthy foods and beverages.
Today, nearly one in three young people are overweight or obese.
In order to raise healthy kids and reverse the childhood obesity epidemic, we must ensure that the places where our children live, learn and play make the healthy choice the easy choice. And we know that those changes are heavily influenced by public policies that in some way either sustain the behaviors and practices that contribute to the problems or fail to foster healthier choices that could prevent the problems.
Voices for Healthy Kids®, a joint initiative of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) and American Heart Association (AHA), works to help all young people eat healthier foods and be more active. Nearly one in three kids and teens is overweight or obese. By engaging, organizing and mobilizing people in communities across the United States, Voices for Healthy Kids will help make the healthy choice the easy choice in the places where children live, learn, and play.
It is a unique collaboration between the RWJF and the AHA that leverages collective resources of the childhood obesity movement to strengthen and support advocates by advancing evidence-informed childhood obesity policy primarily at the state and community level.
Supported by resources of RWJF and the AHA, layered on top of the 50-state advocacy capacity of the AHA and partnered with national and state partners.
Voices for Healthy Kids®, a joint initiative of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) and American Heart Association (AHA), works to help all young people eat healthier foods and be more active. Nearly one in three kids and teens is overweight or obese. By engaging, organizing and mobilizing people in communities across the United States, Voices for Healthy Kids will help make the healthy choice the easy choice in the places where children live, learn, and play.
Helping Children Grow up at a Healthy Weight:
Additional $500 million investment (2015-2025). “So, over the next 10 years, we plan to concentrate our work on five key strategies. Five big bets that we believe will help all children grow up at a healthy weight, no matter who they are or where they live. Big bets that will contribute to building a strong, inclusive Culture of Health.”
Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, President and CEO, RWJF
February 5, 2015 New York, New York
We are approaching our work in VFHK in childhood obesity issue campaigns by creating an initiative that builds skills and provides opportunities for state and local advocates to move policy across the nation. Key elements of the initiative include:
We have established policy priorities that are evidence-informed and focused.
Next, we are building out tools for advocates rooted in evidence and best practices
We will be investing in coalitions on the ground to implement issue advocacy campaigns
And we will be working directly with coalitions to build their skills, connect advocates across the nation, and to assure that they have the training and ongoing technical assistance resources they need.
See the menu handout in your folder
Finally, if you want to remain up-to-date with VFHK, you can sign up for updates on our website, follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, or reach out to me directly at my email address.