From: RWJF Publications <[log in to unmask]>
Date: October 13, 2015 at 4:32:12 PM EDT
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Subject: Childhood Obesity Weekly Policy Update
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This message contains graphics. If you do not see the graphics, click here to view SHARE:           Federal Federal Dietary Guidelines Won’t Include Soda Tax Recommendation At a hearing held by the House Agriculture Committee, U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Sylvia Burwell said that forthcoming updates to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans will not include a recommendation of a national soda tax, despite its inclusion in a scientific advisory committee report. The 2015 dietary guidelines, which form the basis for federal nutrition policy and food assistance programs, are expected to be released by the end of the year.  White House Proclamation Marks National School Lunch Week President Barack Obama signed a proclamation designating October 11-17 as National School Lunch Week. The proclamation underscores the importance of nutritious school meals, noting that for many children, “schools are often the only stable source of health and nutrition,” and calls for continued effort to foster healthy school environments. State and Local Berkeley Soda Tax Resulting in Higher Prices for Consumers In its first three months of implementation, the first-in-the-nation, penny-per-ounce excise tax on sugar-sweetened beverages in Berkeley, Calif., resulted in a price increase of seven-tenths of a cent per ounce on soft drinks compared to those in nearby cities, according to a study from UC Berkeley School of Health and published in the American Journal of Public Health. Authors of the study, which also found that retailers are passing about 70 percent of the extra cost to consumers, said the findings are “marking step in the causal pathway between the tax and reduced SSB consumption.” From the Field Online Storybook Highlights YMCA Impact on Healthy Eating, Physical Activity An online “storybook” documenting the YMCA’s Healthier Communities Initiative—which increases access to healthy food and physical activity in 247 communities nationwide—shares examples of community-wide changes in several of these locations. Examples include Whittier, Calif., which now has nine new school salad bars, a labeling system for healthy items in local grocery stores, and healthy school fundraisers, as well as Yonkers, N.Y., which now has healthier food at a local grocery store, healthy mobile food pantries, and a playground built in partnership with KaBOOM!.  Articles of Interest Healthy School Lunches Under Attack: Our View (Editorial) USA Today, 10/5/2015 Taxpayers have a vested interest in providing nutritious school lunches, and a federal law passed in 2010 with bipartisan support did just that.  Minnesota Students Hit the Bricks: Walk to School Day Public News Service – MN, John Michaelson, 10/7/2015 Back in the 1960s, around half of all school kids got to class by walking or biking, but now that figure is estimated at less than 15 percent. One reason fewer children are getting to school by foot or bike these days is a lack of safe routes. Upcoming Events Congressional Briefing: The State of Obesity: Better Policies for a Healthier America October 15, 2015 12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. ET Capitol Visitors Center – Senate Side SVC-212-10 Washington, DC  Hosted by Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, this briefing will examine the newly released report, The State of Obesity 2015: Better Policies for a Healthier America, which contains the latest data on obesity trends and state-by-state adult obesity rates, and an examination of high-impact policies to prevent or reduce obesity in the United States. RSVP for the briefing. Towards Evidence-based Nutrition and Obesity Policy: Methods, Implementation, and Political Reality October 16, 2015 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. ET New York City Hosted by the National Academy of Sciences, this conference will focus on the latest methods in nutrition research and how nutrition research can be used to inform policy. Register for the conference. 2016 RWJF Culture of Health Prize: Phase I Applications  November 12, 2015 (deadline for Phase I applications) Sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the RWJF Culture of Health Prize recognizes and celebrates communities that have placed a priority on health and are creating powerful partnerships and deep commitments to make change. Up to 10 winning communities will each receive a $25,000 cash prize and have their success stories celebrated and shared broadly to inspire locally-driven change across the nation. Phase I applications for all applicant communities are due on November 12, 2015; winners will be announced in the fall of 2016. Learn more and apply online. CONNECT:          Privacy Policy You are receiving this email because you are subscribed to the Childhood Obesity Weekly Policy Update. ©2015 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation   Route 1 and College Road East   Princeton, NJ 08543, US

 

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