Healthy Eating, Active Communities Initiative

School Based Health Care | Statewide Youth Board on Obesity Prevention

Promoting Healthy Eating and Active Communities

Healthy Eating, Active Communities (HEAC) is a $26 million, four-year initiative to prevent obesity in children and youth. Using a "grassroots to treetops" approach that involves community residents, public officials, and private business, HEAC aims to build practice models and mobilize advocates to promote healthier environments for nutrition and physical activity. HEAC features local partnerships in six communities, a statewide network of technical support, communications and policy advocacy, new tools and other resources, research and evaluation.

The primary goals of the community demonstration component of HEAC are to implement and evaluate strategies to improve environments for healthy eating and physical activity and to create momentum for widespread changes in policy and practice that will ultimately lead to preventing obesity. HEAC collaboratives are working in each of five sectors including 1.) schools, 2.) after school programs, 3.) neighborhoods, 4.) media and advertising, and 5.) health care to engage youth, families, community leaders, health professionals, and others in targeted communities in efforts to reduce obesity. The Partnership for the Public's Health (PPH) serves as project manager and coordinator, and Samuels and Associates is the project evaluator. The core group of technical assistance providers includes: Policy Link, Project LEAN, CanFit, and Kaiser Permanente. The HEAC Initiative is funded by The California Endowment with support from Kaiser Permanente, Community Benefits Program.

The California Center's Role Within the HEAC Initiative

The California Center is currently finishing the second year of funded activities to support youth leadership development and youth involvement to reach the goals of the HEAC Initiative. Youth engagement from a youth development model is especially critical in communities experiencing the highest levels of health and economic disparities. Engaging youth from these communities serves a dual benefit of developing the young people into effective community leaders, at the same time strengthening the programs and policies that aim to influence their behaviors.

In addition to providing a link for HEAC communities to the Statewide Youth Board, the California Center has played a leadership role in expansion of youth engagement in the HEAC Initiative. In May of 2006, the California Center worked with Partnership for the Public's Health to conduct a survey on youth engagement within the HEAC Initiative. Based on the results of the survey, the HEAC Youth Engagement Work Group was formed. The first HEAC-wide youth engagement training took place at the October 6, 2006 HEAC Steering Committee Session in San Francisco, with the California Center playing an active role. In the final two years of the Initiative, the California Center will continue to link youth representatives of HEAC communities to the Statewide Youth Board on Obesity Prevention, to work with HEAC collaboratives to provide technical assistance in youth engagement that is responsive to community needs, and to conduct the activities in partnership with the HEAC Youth Engagement Work Group. For more information, please contact Becca Louisell at blouisell@californiacenter.org or (916) 443-2229 x. 24. To find out more about the HEAC Initiative, please visit www.healthyeatingactivecommunities.org .