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Kelley Murphy, BSN, School of Nursing, Indiana University, 1111 Middle Dr., Environments for Health, Indianapolis, IN 46202, 317-788-1758, kmurphy@hhcorp.org
Public health professionals are concerned about the long-term effects of overweight and obesity on children. The number of children in the United States with overweight or obesity has doubled and in some cases tripled in the last twenty years. As awareness among public health professionals has increased, so has public awareness. Communities are beginning to ask what can be done to address the problem. This has translated into a large amount of legislative activity across the country as well as in the state of Indiana. Legislation has been introduced and a state plan is being developed to address several facets of the problem. In this project, the policy issue of obesity and overweight in children and adolescents was undertaken with a three-pronged approach. First, a coalition of interested parties worked together to encourage passage of a specific piece of legislation, Indiana House Bill 1014, directed at nutrition and activity in schools. Second, a long-term legislative agenda for the state of Indiana was developed to guide stakeholders in their advocacy efforts. Lastly, a plan for how to develop consensus within advocacy organizations related to a legislative agenda was developed. This presentation will highlight the successes of each of these approaches as well as barriers encountered. The outcomes of each approach will be discussed along with lessons learned from the experience.
Learning Objectives: Learning Objectives
Keywords: Obesity, Public Health Policy
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
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.