Cut sugary drinks!

Posted on May 22, 2013 by tonya

Childhood obesity is a public health crisis. Studies have shown that sugary drinks are the single largest source of added calories in the American diet even toddlers consume far more calories from sugary drinks today than they did 30 years ago and early childhood obesity rates have more than doubled over that same period of time.

In response to this threat, Healthy and Active Before 5 and First 5 Contra Costa have launched  a hard-hitting campaign urging parents to protect their toddlers and preschoolers from sugary drinks, and serve them water instead.

As you can see from the artwork, we’re not pulling any punches with this campaign:

SugarBites_EnJuiceSugarBites_SpSoda

Protect our children.

The beverage industry spends millions marketing sugary drinks to children, especially to Latino and African American children.  We think parents deserve to know the truth about the serious health risks associated with these drinks.  In order to protect the health of Contra Costa County kids, we’ve provided a counter message to what the beverage industry uses to target our children. 

We hope this helps parents to establish healthy habits in young children that will lead to long, healthy adult lives.

About the campaign.   sugarbites-protect-avoid

Advertisements:
Look for ads in English and Spanish on BART platforms, transit shelters, convenience store windows, and check cashing facilities in Bay Point, Concord, Pittsburg, Richmond, and San Pablo.  These will run through July and August.

New Websites:
We also have developed websites in English and Spanish with more information about sugary drinks and why water and low-fat or non-fat milk are the healthiest options for children.

Visit www.cutsugarydrinks.org.

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Lessons Learned from Richmond Soda Tax

Posted on May 6, 2013 by tonya

Last year, Richmond City Councilmember Jeff Ritterman and members of Fit for Life made a gallant effort towards reducing consumption of soda by imposing a 1 cent per ounce sugar sweetened beverage tax.

It was a controversial move that generated heated discussions, strong opposition from the beverage companies and news coverage across the country.

The measure did not pass. Why?  We know that soda and other sugary drinks aren’t good for us.. What was it about this measure and other efforts to reduce soda consumption that just didn’t work?

Richmond stake holders shared with us some advice about possible next steps for Contra Costa County.

  • More support from non-profit organizations. Jenny Wang, a Fit For Life organizer, shared that it was an uphill battle for the organization due to lack of funding and volunteers.
  • The tax helped increase education about sugar sweetened beverages. Coire Reilly from Contra Costa Health Services, said that the initiative provided an opportunity for better communication between Health Services and the community.
  • Plan ahead! Bring community to the table early on. Rhea Laughlin at First 5 Contra Costa said residents of the West County Regional Group had concerns about how soda tax revenue would be spent.  Include the community in early staged of policy development.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest held a webinar that discussed other lessons learned from Richmond’s and El Monte’s ballot measures.

Download the slides here: Understanding-Future-Policy-Implications-1-24-13-presentation.pdf (2.8 MB)

What next?

We heard you! At our January meeting our partners said Healthy and Active Before 5 should do more work in county wide policy. In the coming months the Executive Committee will have further discussion on what that means for us as a project.

In the meantime, we will continue educating about sugar-sweetened beverages and encourage you to adopt healthy policies. We have mini-grants available.. Have you adopted a healthy policy recently?

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Too much TV is unhealthy for kids.

Posted on May 6, 2013 by tonya

A whopping 90% of children under the age of two watch at least 2 hours of television per day. They are either sitting directly in front of the TV watching their favorite programs or the television is on in the background.

Too much time in front of the television has been linked to increased childhood obesity rates.  It reduces time for playful activity and exposes children to ads that encourage un-healthy eating.


Healthy alternatives from food and beverage companies does not mitigate the impact advertising has on childhood obesity.  New campaigns are blaming obesity on the family.

Watch the following video from Coco Cola and how deceptive their new ‘healthy options’ campaign really is.

Children under the age of two should not be watching TV at all.  No more than 2 hours a day according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.

What can you do to limit television for children in your care?

As an organization you can…

  • Remove televisions from waiting rooms or turn them off when lots of children are present.
  • Place vending machines where children can’t see them.
  • Avoid contests or giveaways targeted for children involving unhealthy food or beverages.
  • Instead try social marketing or education campaigns that encourage healthy foods!

Dr. Diane Dooley presented more information about screen time and the effects of advertising to our Leadership Council.

Download Dr. Dooley’s unhealthy marketing presentation here: Marketing2013.ppt

We will be drafting a new policy to reduce marketing of unhealthy foods and beverages to young children, which will be part of our 2013-14 “Pledge the Practice. Pass the Policy” mini-grant initiative, so stay tuned!

Do you think children are watching too much tv? What are you doing to keep your children away from negative marketing?

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We’re Hiring!

Posted on April 9, 2013 by tonya

Healthy and Active Before 5 is looking for a new Program Manager!

Healthy and Active Before Five is a collaborative of over 50 community services, health care, business, civic, faith, public safety and children’s organizations formed to increase options for healthy eating and active living for young families in Contra Costa County.

The collaborative has developed an Action Plan with 8 principles that will guide the collaborative effort to change eating and exercise habits for the 255,000 children under 5 years of age living in Contra Costa County, particularly the 28,000 children living in poverty and at in increased risk of obesity.

The Project Manager, under direction of the Healthy and Active Before 5 Executive Committee, will promote implementation of the Action Plan by providing networking, a wide range of resources, and links to technical assistance for collaborative members.

Minimum Qualifications include:

  • BA/BS public health, nutrition or related field required, masters preferred. Minimum 2 years experience managing collaborative projects.
  • Experience with program management and leadership.
  • Experience in public health and/or policy development essential.
  • Experience in advocacy and coalition building.
  • Experience preventing childhood obesity and/or other health disparities.

Healthy and Active Before 5 and the Contra Costa Child Care Council are equal opportunity employers. Women and Persons of Color are encouraged to apply.

Download the Program Manager job description: HAB45 Program Manager 04052013

Please send your cover letter and to HR@cocokids.org. Only viable candidates will be contacted.

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