July 2010 - Parks & Recreation - 23

advo cacy update

By Michael Claunch

Healthy Choices
Fighting the obesity epidemic

ince 1980, a prevailing lifestyle defined
by physical inactivity and the overcon-

istock

sumption of unhealthy foods has crippled
American society, causing 73 percent of adults and 43
percent of children to be overweight, obese, or severely obese. Obesity now affects all demographic groups
and costs our state and federal government millions in
healthcare expenditures annually, forcing the national government to address this issue.

The National Recreation and Park Association
has placed itself on the forefront of the battle against
obesity by aggressively advocating for the expansion of public parks and recreational facilities to aid
in a healthier national life style. On May 5, our efforts received invaluable support with the unveiling
of The Healthy Communities through Helping to Optimize Choices for Everyone In Society (C.H.O.I.C.E.S.)
Act, H.R. 5209, by Representative Ron Kind (D-WI).
H.R. 5209 comprehensively addresses the obesity epidemic by incorporating the efforts used by
private industry, government, and public health
agencies to address all the contributing factors to
an unhealthy lifestyle. The legislation uses a sixtiered strategy to award funding to focus on the,
urban poor (the demographic group most affected by the obesity epidemic). Funding will support
increased prevention resources and treatment of
obesity in all age groups, childhood nutrition, access and opportunity for physical activity, and access to nutritional information and healthy foods. It
will support the realignment of transportation policy
to promote healthy lifestyles as well as research. All
funding tiers support state and local parks and recreation departments, leveraging them as the major
agent to change the American sedentary lifestyle.
One key feature of the Healthy CHOICES Act is

a $60 million authorization for a competitive grant
program for the planning and implementation of
programs that promote healthy eating and physical activities. This grant program would specifically
allow a state or local parks and recreation department to directly apply for a grant through its state's
Department of Health and Human Services. Eligible initiatives include programs or projects that
promote walking or bicycling as a mode of transportation, form partnerships with community based
organizations to build youth and adult physical activity programs, or directly fund physical activities
led by a parks and recreation department.
This legislation also creates the National Program Promoting Lifelong Active Youth (PLAY) and
Implementation Grants, which awards state health
departments anywhere between $250,000-$1 million to partner with community-based coalitions to
plan and implement model communities of play.
Park and recreation agencies would be allowed to
be part of such a coalition. The legislation specifies that the majority of PLAY Grant funding must be
used to " enable the maximum use of current spaces and places for physical activity or create new
spaces for children, families, and communities to
engage in physical activity before, during and after school or work. " This component encourages

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