CHOICES Research to Be Discussed at the 2019 NACCHO Annual Conference

At the upcoming National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) 2019 Annual Conference in Orlando, FL, CHOICES team members Katie Giles and Jenny Reiner will host a session that will walk users through the recently-launched CHOICES Childhood Obesity National Action Kit and discuss how information presented in the kit can help inform decision-making. Additionally, Dr. Angie Cradock will present on a panel that will explore how health agencies and their community partners select and prioritize strategies to address childhood obesity and will provide examples of tools and resources to assist in future strategic planning.


Date: Wednesday, July 10, 2019
Time: 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Location: Floridian Salon F

Session Title: What Works to Reduce Childhood Obesity? An Interactive Tool for Taking Action

Description: Recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that more adults continue to have obesity. Additionally, research from the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health predicts more than half of today’s children will have obesity when they are adults if we do nothing to stop the rise of this epidemic (Ward et al., NEJM, 2017). The Childhood Obesity Intervention Cost-Effectiveness Study (CHOICES) Project at the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health is working to combat the obesity epidemic by identifying strategies and has been shown to be effective in helping people eat healthier, move more, and reduce excess weight. CHOICES has compiled a menu of these strategies that are feasible and scalable at the state or local level in the United States into an interactive online tool called the Childhood Obesity National Action Kit.

The CHOICES National Action Kit presents projected national results for population reach, as well as impact on health and costs for 14 strategies across multiple settings. These results can help inform decision-making for public health agencies and their partners to guide resource investment in those strategies that have evidence for health impact and cost-effectiveness. No single strategy will reverse the epidemic and the implementation of preventive strategies is imperative. Implementing proven, effective strategies such as those presented in the CHOICES Childhood Obesity National Action Kit is a critical way to ensure children are in environments from the very start that offer healthy foods and beverages and opportunities for physical activity.

Keywords: Healthy Behaviors and Choices (e.g. Fitness, Tobacco, Opioids, Nutrition)

Presenters:

  • Katie Giles, MPH, Project Manager, Prevention Research Center on Nutrition and Physical Activity at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
  • Jennifer Reiner, MPH, Research Assistant, Prevention Research Center on Nutrition and Physical Activity at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

 


Date: Thursday, July 11, 2018
Time: 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Location: Jackson

Session Title: Applying a Cost-effectiveness Framework to Prioritize Nutrition and Physical Activity Strategies in Community Health Improvement Plans

Description: This session will explore how health agencies and their community partners select and prioritize strategies to address childhood obesity and will provide examples of tools and resources to assist in future strategic planning. More than half of today’s children are projected to have obesity by age 35. Many health agencies have limited resources and may want to seek guidance on those nutrition or physical activity interventions that are likely to have the greatest impact on obesity prevalence and be cost-effective. Community Health Improvement Plans (CHIPs) provide a framework for health agencies, cross-sector partners, and community members to set priorities and coordinate resources to address public health issues. This panel will share the results of a content analysis of CHIPs that shows how the concepts of population reach, evidence for impact on health, and cost and cost-effectiveness are used to select and prioritize strategies to address childhood obesity and plan for implementation.

This panel will also highlight the available resources and tools health agencies can use to integrate considerations of cost, strategy effectiveness, and cost-effectiveness into their strategic planning efforts to prioritize nutrition and physical activity intervention strategies that offer the best value for money. Incorporation of these considerations into the CHIP planning process will help public health agencies and their community partners identify and pursue implementation of obesity prevention and treatment strategies that could reduce the prevalence of childhood obesity.

Keywords: Healthy Behaviors and Choices (e.g. Fitness, Tobacco, Opioids, Nutrition)

Presenters:

  • Angie Cradock, ScD, MPE, Senior Research Scientist, Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences and Deputy Director, Harvard Prevention Research Center on Nutrition and Physical Activity at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
  • Chrissie Juliano, BA, MPP, Executive Director, Big Cities Health Coalition
  • Peter Holtgrave, MPH, MA, Senior Director, NACCHO