Evidence Based Resources and School Wellness Policies

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), obesity is a common, serious, and costly chronic disease affecting one in five children and one in three adults, nationwide. As children with obesity are more likely to have obesity as adults, they also have a higher risk for developing Type 2 Diabetes, heart disease, and cancers. This is not only costly to individuals’ quality of life, but also to our healthcare system at an annual cost of over $140 billion.

Unfortunately, fewer than one in ten American children and adults eat the recommended daily amount of vegetables, fewer than one in four American youth get enough aerobic exercise each day, and only one in four American adults meet physical activity guidelines each day. Furthermore, more than half of Americans do not live within half a mile of a park and 40% of all US households do not live within one mile of healthier food retailers.

HOW TO COMBAT OBESITY

Over the years, many resources have been developed to prevent and manage obesity. Please see below for a selection of these resources:

How to Increase Access to Healthy Foods within Communities

  • Capital Roots Healthy Stores. Local to the Capital Region of New York, Capital Roots’ Healthy Stores provides fresh, affordable produce in convenience stores, colleges, and small shops where access to fresh food is limited in Albany, Rensselaer and Schenectady counties.
  • The Food Trust – This webpage explains Healthy Food Financing Initiatives (HFFIs) and their role in improving access to healthy foods in underserved communities. It describes how these public-private investments support fresh food retail development, promote community health, and contribute to local economic growth.
  • State of Childhood Obesity | State Policies to Prevent Obesity: Healthy Food Financing Initiatives. On this interactive map, states that have any level of public HFFI funding are revealed. Fortunately, New York is one of them! The state-level program is referred to as New York Healthy Food & Healthy Communities Fund (HFHC). According to the NYS Directory of Small Business Programs, HFHC “is a $30 million statewide program created to facilitate the development of healthy food markets in underserved communities throughout New York State. The funds provide financing for capital projects and predevelopment activities, including real estate acquisition, construction or rehabilitation, leasehold improvements, equipment, and infrastructure to food markets that cannot obtain conventional financing.” (New York State Directory of Small Business Programs – Page 14).
  • Healthy Food Access Portal | Corbin Hill Food Project. This two-page report highlights the Corbin Hill Food Project in NYS, which works to bridge the gap between farm communities that grow local produce and city communities that want and need healthy food under the NYS HFHC Fund.
  • Healthy Food Access Portal | MyTown Marketplace. In this two-page report, MyTown Marketplace of Highland Falls in NYS is highlighted for their work under the NYS HFHC Fund.
  • Healthy Food = Healthy Economy (Improving the Economic Vitality of New York’s Underserved Communities via Healthy Food Access). In this brief report, access to affordable healthy foods is discussed for the state of New York, along with accomplishments achieved under the HFHC state-wide program.

HOW TO CREATE POLICIES

Resources to creating local school wellness policies to promote children’s health and encourage physical activity during the school day are:

WHAT DOES THE RESEARCH SAY?