Overview

Mission
The San Diego County Childhood Obesity Initiative is a public/private partnership whose mission is to reduce and prevent childhood obesity in San Diego County by creating healthy environments for all children and families through advocacy, education, policy development, and environmental change.

Vision
We envision healthy kids and healthy options for all families no matter where they live, work, play or go to school.

Purpose
The purpose of the San Diego County Childhood Obesity Initiative is to create, support and mobilize partnerships among multiple domains; provide leadership and vision; and coordinate county-wide efforts to prevent and reduce childhood obesity.

Goals

• Increase opportunities for all children and families to access and eat healthful foods in a culturally-appropriate manner.
• Increase opportunities for all children and families to engage in physical activity in an inclusive and culturally-appropriate manner.
• Increase other opportunities to enhance economic, social, service, and built environments.
• Promote operational excellence of the public/private partnership.

Overweight and Obesity in San Diego County

Nationwide, concerns have been growing about the burgeoning childhood obesity epidemic. In a community often referenced as "Paradise," many are shocked to discover an obesity rate in San Diego County that surpasses the national average. More than one in four children here are overweight or obese.

San Diego County faces the same challenges confronting other U.S. communities- ensuring that our neighborhoods provide access to healthy, affordable food and opportunities for physical activity. In response to this challenge, we are taking direct action- in doing so, we have earned San Diego County a reputation for innovation, collaboration, and commitment in solving this issue.

San Diego County Childhood Obesity Action Plan

In October 2004, at the recommendation of County Supervisors Ron Roberts and Pam Slater-Price, the San Diego County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to support and fund the creation, coordination and implementation of a county-wide plan to end childhood obesity. This effort expanded upon the work of the Coalition on Children and Weight San Diego, a grassroots organization dedicated to the prevention of childhood obesity, and was supported by Community Health Improvement Partners (CHIP), County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA) staff, and other partners.

After a year-long process guided by a steering committee comprised of public and private stakeholders, the Call to Action: San Diego County Childhood Obesity Action Plan ( Action Plan) was published in January 2006. The Action Plan emphasizes policy and environmental changes with the recognition that it is easier for individuals to make healthy choices to reduce and prevent childhood obesity when the physical and social environment in which they live supports these choices. The Action Plan provides strategy recommendations in the seven most influential domains (i.e., sectors) in creating healthy environments:

• Government,
• Healthcare,
• Schools and After-school,
• Early Childhood,
• Community,
• Media, and
• Business.

San Diego County Childhood Obesity Initiative

Immediately following publication of the Action Plan, the San Diego County Childhood Obesity Initiative (Initiative) was formed to engage community partners and assure effective implementation of the strategies outlined in the plan. With core funding from the First 5 Commission of San Diego County and the County of San Diego HHSA, and additional capacity building funding from The California Endowment, CHIP was engaged to direct the Initiative. The Initiative is guided by a leadership council comprised of members of the former Action Plan steering committee and other key stakeholders.

The Initiative was established as a public-private partnership and this collaborative spirit continues to guide its work. The Initiative has developed an infrastructure that includes active domain workgroups; engagement of volunteer leaders or "champions" in each domain; engagement of new and existing partners; organizational and project evaluation; and bi-annual domain council meetings, at which domain champions share their work and identify cross-collaborative opportunities. By engaging agencies, institutions, organizations, neighborhoods and individuals to work together to combat childhood obesity, the Initiative is leveraging existing resources and promising practices. The growing momentum of the Initiative is always inspiring new partners to join the cause, bringing a wide range of viewpoints to the table and extending our impact.