Local governments can aid in obesity fight, report says

Local governments are crucial in reducing childhood obesity because they create environments in which people make healthful lifestyle decisions, according to a report released today by the Institute of Medicine and National Research Council.

Put together by a committee of health experts from across the country, the report said municipalities should discourage fast-food restaurants near schools and playgrounds through zoning, provide tax incentives for groceries in underserved areas, and create nutritional standards for government-run after-school programs.

"The bottom line is that if people are presented with options to eat healthier foods and to have more physical activity and at the same time less healthy foods are harder to get a hold of, there will be less obesity," said Dr. James Krieger, chief of chronic disease and injury prevention at Public Health — Seattle & King County.

Today, about 16 percent of children nationally are obese. In King County, nearly 9 percent of students in the eight, 10th and 12th grades consider themselves to be obese, according to the most recent self-reported survey.

Krieger said obesity-prevention efforts have traditionally focused on individuals, such as through one-on-one nutritional counseling.

"That's not working, it's clear that's not working and it's time for more comprehensive strategies," Krieger said. "It's about changing the options people have in work places and schools."

The report highlights laws such as one in Seattle that requires restaurants to provide nutritional information on menus, and programs such as one in Austin, Texas, that encourages fitness by giving employees access to fruits and vegetables and putting up "take the stairs" signs near elevators.

Implementing the group's recommendations will be difficult at a time when health departments are being squeezed by budget cuts.

Still, the report provides examples of initiatives local groups have taken to promote healthy living, including the King County Food & Fitness Initiative in the Delridge and White Center neighborhoods.

The two-year effort funded by the Kellogg Foundation aims to help schools increase physical activity among students and make healthful foods more available. It also hopes to work with convenience and produce stores to provide more locally grown fresh fruits and vegetables.

"We pay now or we pay later," said Erin MacDougall, project lead for the initiative. "By protecting children's health ... we prevent the long-term chronic diseases that are a burden in our system."

The Institute of Medicine report recommends that local governments collaborate with community organizations.

"Local governments can't do it alone," Krieger said. "It requires schools, food industry, employers and media — all these sectors influence what people choose to eat and how active they are."

Marnette Federis: 206-464-2521 or mfederis@seattletimes.com