Fun, Fit & Free!: Creating health within a resistant population

The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA

4034.0: Tuesday, November 12, 2002 - 8:30 AM

Abstract #46574

Gwen Foster, MPH, CHES, Mayor's Office of Health & Fitness/Fun, Fit & Free!, City of Philadelphia, Municipal Services Building, 1401 JFK Boulevard, Suite 600, Philadelphia, PA 19102, (215) 686-2128, gwen.foster@phila.gov

In January of 2000, Men’s Fitness magazine labeled Philadelphia the FATTEST and most unfit City in the nation. While many may take this tongue-in-cheek, obesity is a serious health concern across the nation and Men’s Fitness has helped raise the awareness of this issue in Philadelphia.

The Mayor’s Office of Health & Fitness, established by the City of Philadelphia in 2000, launched Fun, Fit & Free! to help address the problems stemming from obesity in Philadelphia. Since that time, Fun, Fit & Free! has been busy building relationships with city agencies, corporate groups, schools, and community and faith-based organizations to raise community response to this nation's number one health indicator.

In establishing Fun, Fit & Free!, Mayor John F. Street’s intended to accelerate the impact his administration would have on many of the chronic diseases challenging Philadelphia, many of which stem from obesity. The purpose of this session is to share what “works” in effectively designing, communicating, and implementing effective “community-based” health promotion campaigns that emphasize good nutrition and increased physical activity. Participants will be encouraged to think outside the box and to develop creative ways to put the “public” back into public health.

Learning Objectives:

At the conclusion of the session, the participant in this session will be able to

(1) List ten relatively simple health principles that effectively combat chronic disease.
(2) Define social marketing and the critical role it can play in positive behavioral change.
(3) Recognize the importance of building meaningful collaborations and community-based partnerships for effective health education and promotion.

Keywords: Community-Based Health Promotion, Health Education Strategies

Related Web page: www.phila.gov/fitandfun

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: The Mayor's Office of Health & Fitness does not promote products.
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.

Community Efforts to Fight Obesity

The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA