September 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 24

ADVOCACY
National Plan, Local Partners
Parks and recreation at the White House
Conference on Hunger, Nutrition and Health
By Asia Simms and Dan McCarthy
A
fter more than 50 years, the White House will once again convene
a national Conference on Hunger, Nutrition and Health
this month. In reconvening this conference, the Biden-Harris
administration welcomed partners from all sectors to participate
in the development of a national strategy. On behalf of our members,
NRPA contributed recommendations on how park and recreation agencies
can help meet these challenges with innovative solutions.
To guide the conference's discussions
and national strategy, the administration
established five pillars
of discussion: improving food access
and affordability, integrating nutrition
and health, empowering all consumers
to make and have access to
healthy choices, supporting physical
activity for all, and enhancing nutrition
and food security research.
Park and recreation professionals
- and the programs, services and
spaces they provide - play a vital
role in ensuring all people can thrive
in the communities where they live,
learn, work and play. At NRPA,
we want to end hunger by making
it easier for everyone - including
urban, suburban, rural and Tribal
communities - to access and afford
food by expanding eligibility for
and increasing participation in food
assistance programs. Investing more
reliably in parks and recreation and
community-based organizations
will make it easier for everyone to
access and afford healthy and local
foods nutrition education, food
assistance programs, as well as safe,
active transportation to grocery
stores, farmers markets and other
food distribution centers.
We want to empower all comFood
insecurity and other diet-related
chronic diseases, like heart disease and
diabetes - which are some of the leading
causes of death and disability in the
United States - persist at alarmingly
high levels. More than 38 million people
experience hunger in the nation, with
children, Black, Latinx, Native American,
Asian Pacific American, older adults and
rural communities disproportionately impacted.
Source: NRPA (nrpa.org/blog)
munity members to make and have
access to healthy choices, environments,
workplaces and schools by
investing in culturally appropriate
public messaging and education
campaigns that resonate with communities.
We want our nutrition
and food security policies informed
by issues of equity, access and disparities,
and supported by integrating
nutrition and health, particularly
in nutrition metrics, data
collection, and research. We want
to prioritize the role of nutrition
and food security in overall health,
24 Parks & Recreation | SEP T EMBER 2 0 22 | PARK S ANDRECRE AT ION . OR G
including disease prevention and
management, and ensure that our
healthcare system addresses
the
nutritional needs of all people.
Parks, trails and green spaces offer
physical and mental health benefits, so
much so, that the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention's Community
Preventative Services Task Force
(CPSTF)
(tinyurl.com/4atupc3z)
recommends park and trail infrastructure
to increase physical activity.
When combined with other health
interventions, the CPSTF found that
park and trail infrastructure increased
the amount of moderate-to-vigorous
physical activity by 17 percent. Officially
recognizing the importance of
parks in its public health recommendations
is a step in the right direction.
As millions of people living in
the United States continue to face
barriers to health, now is the time
for park and recreation professionals
to elevate their voice. NRPA encourages
our members to be active
participants in shaping the administration's
national strategy and its
areas of focus by lifting up stories
of lived experiences with hunger,
poverty or other barriers to health,
and sharing recommendations on
how to improve community health
and well-being at its roots.
Please join us in spreading the
word by tweeting @NRPA_news
and @WhiteHouse with
the
hashtags #EndHungerNow and
#PowerOfParks with your message.
We look forward to working with
the administration, Congress and
our partners to address community
health and well-being
and locally.
nationally
Asia Simms is NRPA's Park Champions
Initiative Specialist Intern (asimms@nrpa.
org). Dan McCarthy is NRPA's Advocacy
Manager (dmccarthy@nrpa.org).
http://www.tinyurl.com/4atupc3z https://www.nrpa.org/blog/take-action-now-white-house-conference-on-hunger-health-and-nutrition/
September 2022 - Parks & Recreation

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