Health Promotion Council Receives Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Major Grant to Curb Obesity among Philadelphia’s Schoolchildren

Health Promotion Council (HPC) has been awarded a $360,000 grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) to launch a community-based initiative to combat childhood obesity in Philadelphia. Based on a rigorous selection process that drew more than 500 proposals from across the country, HPC, an affiliate of Public Health Management Corporation (PHMC), is one of 41 sites selected for the RWJF Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities initiative.

According to a survey by PHMC’s Community Health Database, 28.4% of Philadelphia youth are obese and an additional 18.5% are overweight. This means nearly one-half of Philadelphia’s youth are at risk for weight-related health problems such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, asthma and certain types of cancer.

In collaboration with The Food Trust, National Nursing Centers Consortium, University of Pennsylvania and Philadelphia Department of Public Health – Office of Health and Opportunity, HPC will reach the children enrolled in Out of School Time (OST) – an after-school provider network serving more than 20,000 children. “HPC and its partnership will take a policy and systems change approach to addressing childhood obesity in after-school sites. This is particularly exciting because our efforts will be sustainable and our impact with Philadelphia’s youth will be long lasting.” says Marlin Williams, HPC project director.

“To reverse this epidemic, communities are going to have to rally around their kids and provide the opportunities they need to be healthy,” said Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, M.D., M.B.A., president and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. “Through this project, HPC and its partners are doing what it takes to make sure children lead better lives.”

 

Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities is RWJF’s largest investment to date in community-based solutions to childhood obesity. With nine Leading Sites chosen in late 2008, the program now spans 50 communities from Seattle to Puerto Rico. All are targeting improvements in local policies and their community environment—changes that research indicates could have the greatest impact on healthier eating, more active living and obesity prevention. Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities is a cornerstone of RWJF’s $500 million commitment to reverse the country’s childhood obesity epidemic by 2015.

The 40 other cities and regions just announced as Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities sites are:

Benton County, OR

Boone and Newton Counties, AR

Buffalo, NY

Caguas, PR

Charleston, WV

Chattanooga, TN

Cook County, GA

Cuba, NM

Denver, CO

Desoto, Marshall and Tate Counties, MS

El Paso, TX

Fitchburg, MA

Flint, MI

Grant County, NM

Greenville, SC

Hamilton County, OH

Houghton County, MI

Houston, TX

Jackson, MS

Jacksonville, FL

Jefferson County, AL

Kane County, IL

Kansas City, MO

Kingston, NY

Knox County, TN

Lake Worth, Greenacres and Palm Springs, FL

Milledgeville, GA

Milwaukee, WI

Moore and Montgomery Counties, NC

Multnomah County/Portland, OR

Nash and Edgecombe Counties, NC

New Orleans, LA

Omaha, NE

Phoenix, AZ

Rancho Cucamonga, CA

Rochester, NY

San Antonio, TX

San Felipe Pueblo, NM

Spartanburg County, SC

Watsonville and Pajaro Valley, CA

All were selected because of strong vision, partnership and a commitment to make lasting change in their communities. The new program grants will continue through June 2013. Visit www.healthykidshealthycommunities.org to learn more about these communities’ work and plans.