Sfgov.org | Shape Up SF: Resources and Research

Rethink Your Drink
Sugary Savvy Train the Trainer Workshop Flyer (PDF)
Shape Up SF Rethink Your Drink Proposal (PDF)

Healthy and Sustainable Food for San Francisco
Executive Directive 09-03 (PDF)

YMCA Pioneering Healthier Communities Lessons and Leading Practices Report (PDF)

Creating Safe Places for Play -- JointUse.org
In partnership with the Berkeley Media Studies Group, the Prevention Institute proudly announces the launch of a new interactive website dedicated to helping create safe places for children in all communities to play and be active. By showcasing successes as well as the problem, JointUse.org provides the tools and resources advocates need to launch successful joint use agreements, allowing for shared use of public spaces like schools with community members once schools are closed.

Leadership for Healthy Communities Action Strategies Toolkit (PDF)
Working in close collaboration with 11 influential policy-maker organizations, Leadership for Healthy Communities developed this toolkit to equip state, municipal, county and school leaders with promising and evidence-based policy approaches designed to improve children’s health and reduce childhood obesity. This comprehensive resource includes strategies in 10 policy areas, lists of key stakeholders, tips on how to start programs, and examples of policies that states and communities have implemented successfully. It is prefaced with an unequivocal leadership statement signed by executive directors from each of the 11 participating policy-maker organizations.This statement underscores the organizations’ recognition that childhood obesity is a national problem and reflects their commitment to work collaboratively across levels of government to build healthier communities.

Leadership for Healthy Communities, a national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, works to support local and state leaders nationwide in their efforts to promote healthy, active communities and access to affordable, healthy foods.

For more information about the Action Strategies Toolkit or about Leadership for Healthy Communities, please visit www.leadershipforhealthycommunities.org or contact the deputy director, Laura Ojeda, at 202-265-5112 or Laura@LeadershipforHealthyCommunities.org.

SHAPE UP SF STRATEGIC PLAN (PDF)

SHAPE UP SAN FRANCISCO - A YEAR IN REVIEW - 2009 (PDF)

SHAPE UP SAN FRANCISCO - A YEAR IN REVIEW - 2008 (PDF)

SHAPE UP SAN FRANCISCO- A YEAR IN REVIEW- 2007 (PDF)

2009 Health Observances

Fact Sheets
Why Be Active Fact Sheet (PDF)
Why Eat Healthy Fact Sheet (PDF)
Obesity Fact Sheet (PDF)
Diabetes Fact Sheet (PDF)

Obesity Disparities (PDF)
Prepared for the National Initiative for Children's Healthcare Quality by Lisa Simpson, MB, BCh, MPH, FAAP

Addressing Disparities in Childhood Obesity (PDF)
Prepared for the National Initiative for Children's Healthcare Quality by Elizabeth Goodman, MD, FAAP, FSAM

Eat This, Not That (PPT) by Amy Portello Nelson
We all know that it's good to eat fresh, local, organic food whenever possible, but we also know that no one is going to ALWAYS do that. Sometimes we want ice cream and cookies! This presentation will help you realize what frozen pizzas are lower in cholesterol and calories, which fast food options will fill you up with nutrients instead of fat, and what things you should NEVER put in your shopping cart again.

One Small Change Handouts
Prepared by: Community Forum for Perinatal Health, a collaboration of organizations in Alameda County. 2008
Materials are available in English, Chinese, and Spanish for youth, teen, adult, and pregnant populations.

Healthy Halloween Tools
Healthy Halloween Treats - English (PDF)
Healthy Halloween Treats - Chinese (PDF)
Healthy Halloween Treats - Spanish (PDF)

Websites and Toolkits
Exercise is Medicine
Fitness Forward
California Fit Business Kit
Materals SWAP - a resource for local and free social marketing materials

Healthy People, Healthy Places: Directions for Improving Community, Individual, and Economic Health (PDF)
Priorities for the Transition to the New Administration
Prepared by Prevention Institute and PolicyLink

Research (back to top)

Physical Activity Opportunities Associated With Fitness and Weight Status Among Adolescents in Low-Income Communities (PDF)
Kristine A. Madsen, MD, MPH; Wendi Gosliner, MPH, RD;
Gail Woodward-Lopez, MPH, RD; Patricia B. Crawford, DrPH, RD

Priority of Activity-Friendly Community Issues Among Key Decision Makers in Hawaii (PDF)
Jay E. Maddock, Bill Reger-Nash, Katie Heinrich, Kevin M. Leyden, and Thomas K. Bias
Journal of Physical Activity and Health, 2009, 6, 386-390
© 2009 Human Kinetics, Inc.

SPARK Study (PDF)
Thanks to the efforts and dedication of ExCEL and the site coordinators and program leaders at six SFUSD elementary schools: Guadalupe, ER Taylor, Sunset, Buena Vista, FS Key, and Yick Wo, UCSF completed its study on the impact of the SPARK curriculum on child health. Below is a synopsis of the results. The final report will be available shortly.

Summary of the major findings:

All students increased their physical activity during and after school, over the 5-month study period. At follow-up, students in SPARK and control schools achieved, on average, 52 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity while in SFUSD programming (during and after school), which is 85% of recommended total daily activity levels.

It does not appear that use of the SPARK curriculum increased physical activity in the after school setting. SPARK schools did not show greater increases in objectively measured physical activity (looking at the accelerometer data) than control schools. We believe this is because all of the PEP coordinators made strong efforts to keep kids physically active, with or without SPARK. In general, kids in all schools both SPARK and control participated in similar activities in the after-school setting.

Nonetheless, students exposed to the SPARK curriculum were more likely to feel that they had increased their levels of physical activity, and to express greater enjoyment in physical activities such as playing ball or dancing.

Weight status remained stable, although the prevalence of obesity declined slightly in SPARK schools. While we would like to see weight status improve among all children, it is heartening that children were not becoming overweight or obese during the study period.

Fitness, as measured by the 20-meter shuttle test, declined in both SPARK and control schools. It may be that children put less effort into the fitness test at follow-up, or, if fitness truly declined, it could be that the activities kids were doing both during and after school weren¹t vigorous enough to increase their fitness.

Childhood Obesity is a Serious Concern in New York City (PDF)
Higher Levels of Fitness Associated with Better Academic Performance

F as in Fat 2009: How Obesity Policies are Failing in America (PDF)

The Built Environment: Designing Communities to Promote Physical Activity in Children (PDF)
This policy statement highlights how the built environment of a community affects children’s opportunities for physical activity.

Cost Effectiveness of Community-Based Physical Activity Interventions (PDF)
Am J Prev Med 2008;35(6):578–588
Physical inactivity is associated with the increased risk of many chronic diseases. Such risks decrease with increases in physical activity. This study assessed the cost-effectiveness of population-wide strategies to promote physical activity in adults and followed disease incidence over a lifetime.

Neighborhood Greenness and 2-Year Changes in Body Mass Index of Children and Youth (PDF)
Janice F. Bell, PhD, MPH, Jeffrey S. Wilson, PhD, Gilbert C. Liu, MD, MS. Am J Prev Med 2008;35(6):547–553
Available studies of the built environment and the BMI of children and youth suggest a contemporaneous association with neighborhood greenness in neighborhoods with high population density. The current study tests whether greenness and residential density are independently associated with 2-year changes in the BMI of children and youth.

Prevalence of Obesity Among US Preschool Children in Different Racial and Ethnic Groups (PDF)
Anderson, S. & Whitaker, R. (2009). Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2009; 163(4):344-348.

Neighborhood built environment and income: Examining multiple health outcomes (PDF)
Sallis, J.F., et al., Neighborhood built environment and income: Examining multiple health outcomes, Social Science & Medicine (2009), doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2009.01.017

Learning to Play and Playing to Learn: Organized Sports and Educational Outcomes (PDF)
Written by Ann Rosewater and published by Team-Up For Youth, February 2009
This report examines data on the impact of organized sports on the academic and intellectual achievement of students.

California Study Finds Low-Income Teens More Likely to be Overweight than Higher-Income Peers
A new policy brief released by the Center for Health Policy Research at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) suggests that teenagers from low-income households are three times more likely to be obese than teens from higher-income families, United Press International reports.

Community-based diabetes prevention program shows promise
San Diego, September 9, 2008 ? With over 60 million Americans diagnosed with prediabetes, putting them at increased risk for diabetes, cardiovascular events and other obesity-related ailments, finding ways to help large populations avoid these complications is an important initiative. In an article published in the October 2008 issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, researchers from the Indiana University School of Medicine report that organizations such as the YMCA can be an effective vehicle for diabetes-prevention education.

A number of significant studies, such as the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP), have shown that structured diet and physical exercise can significantly reduce the progression of prediabetes to diabetes. These trials involved strict enrollment criteria and major lifestyle changes that are difficult to translate into large-scale, community-level programs.

With over 2,500 facilities serving more than 10,000 rural, suburban and inner-city communities, and a long history of implementing successful health promotion programs, the YMCA is in a unique position to help develop this pilot study for large-scale outreach. Two facilities, located in semi-urban neighborhoods in greater Indianapolis, Indiana, participated in the current study. One offered the increased DPP-style intervention while the other offered standard diabetes-prevention advice (controls).

The study involved 92 participants, divided into an intervention group (46) and a control group. Both groups received baseline educational materials, but the intervention group was offered a core curriculum involving 16 classroom-style meetings focused on building knowledge and skills for goal setting, self-monitoring and problem-solving. Program sessions lasted 60-90 minutes, and the entire core curriculum was delivered over 16-20 weeks.

At the 4-6-month follow-up visit, body weight decreased by 6.0% in intervention participants and 2.0% in control participants. This was equal to a mean weight loss of 5.7 kg (12.5 lbs) for intervention participants and 1.8 kg (4.0 lbs) for controls, a clinically meaningful and significant difference. There was also a significant and clinically meaningful difference in the change in total cholesterol concentration (-21.6 mg/dL intervention vs +6 mg/dL controls). All of these differences persisted at the 12-14 month follow-up visits.

Writing in the article, Ronald T. Ackermann, MD, MPH, states, "This is the first study to demonstrate that the YMCA is a promising vehicle for the dissemination of the DPP lifestyle intervention into the community?In this pilot study, people at high risk for developing diabetes achieved and maintained a mean 6% reduction in baseline body weight and significant reductions in total cholesterol. Given these results, delivery of the DPP via the YMCA warrants further study as a model for the wide-scale dissemination of an evidence-based strategy to lower diabetes and cardiometabolic risk for millions of Americans with prediabetes."

###
The article is "Translating the Diabetes Prevention Program into the Community: The DEPLOY Pilot Study" by Ronald T. Ackermann, MD, MPH; Emily A. Finch, MA; Edward Brizendine, MS; Honghong Zhou, PhD and David G. Marrero, PhD. It appears in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, Volume 35, Issue 4 (October 2008) published by Elsevier.

The Potential Impact of Menu Labeling of Fast Foods in California
A white paper released by University of California’s Center for Weight and Health and the California Center for Public Health Advocacy (CCPHA). The white paper shows that posting calorie information on menu boards at fast-food restaurants could help Californians avoid more than two pounds of weight gain per year and allow the state as a whole to avoid millions of pounds annually.

The anatomy of the safe and social suburb: An exploratory study of the built environment, social capital and residents’ perceptions of safety (PDF)
by Lisa Wood, Tya Shannon, Max Bulsara, Terri Pikora, Gavin McCormack, Billie Giles-Corti

Neighborhood Disorder, Perceived Safety, and Readiness to Encourage Use of Local Playgrounds (PDF)
by Rebecca Miles, PhD

Tennessee to Require More P.E. Credits for High School Graduation
Apr 22, 2008

To reduce the rates of childhood obesity in Tennessee, state lawmakers have approved new high school graduation requirements that include an additional half-credit of physical education (P.E.), the Tennessean reports. The mandate will take effect when students currently in seventh grade become high school freshmen. Under current guidelines, Tennessee high school students must complete just one credit of health, P.E. or wellness education to graduate. In an effort begun this year to increase physical activity during school hours, the state requires students to engage in 90 minutes of physical activity weekly. Unlike P.E., the physical activity does not have to be taught or supervised by a certified P.E. instructor and can include walking, stretching or other activities. The Tennessean notes that national guidelines call for students in kindergarten through eighth grade to participate in 150 minutes of physical activity weekly and students in high school to complete 225 minutes weekly (Mielczarek, Tennessean, 4/21/08).

Study Reinforces Importance of Following National Pediatric Guidelines for Physical Activity, Screen Time
Apr 18, 2008

A study published in the Journal of Pediatrics finds that children who failed to adhere to American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommendations for physical activity and screen time were up to four times more likely to be overweight than those who followed the guidelines, United Press International reports. The academy recommends that boys take 11,000 steps and girls take 13,000 steps daily and that both genders limit screen time to two hours daily. To assess the link between adherence to the AAP recommendations and overweight, researchers from Iowa State University and the National Institute on Media and Family evaluated the lifestyle habits of 709 children ages 7 to 12. All children were issued a pedometer to measure their steps and were given surveys to determine the amount of time they spent watching TV or playing video games. Among children who met the AAP recommendations, 10 percent of boys and 20 percent of girls were overweight. In contrast, 35 percent of boys and 40 percent of girls who failed to meet the recommendations were overweight. The researchers note that screen time and physical activity appeared to equally influence both genders’ risk for overweight, whereas physical activity more strongly influenced girls' risk for overweight than screen time. Noting that very few children met both benchmarks, lead author Kelly Laurson of Iowa State University suggests that caregivers may be able to reduce childhood obesity risk by limiting screen time and promoting physical activity (UPI, 4/17/08; Journal of Pediatrics, 5/17/08).

Food Preferences in San Francisco's Southeast Sector
A survey conducted by the Southeast Food Access Working Group.
SEFA Food Preferences Survey Results and Analysis-October 2007 (PDF)

SEFA Food Preferences Survey Press Release (PDF)

The Southeast Sector Food Preferences Survey was created and administered by the SEFA Working Group to 562 residents who reflect the diversity of the neighborhood. Ninety-four percent of those surveyed say they would actively support new food options in the Bayview-Hunters Point.

Other Significant Survey Findings:
• Most residents buy their food outside of the neighborhood. Over half (58%) say they
  frequently buy their groceries at Safeways in other neighborhoods.
• Four out of five respondents say “freshness” is the most important factor when
choosing a place to shop for food; far more than those who prioritize affordability
  and other factors.
• Survey respondents care about values associated with workers’ rights and organic
foods. A majority (58%) want a co-op  market; and over half (53%) say it is “most
important” that foods be free of pesticides and chemicals, and be grown by local
farmers who treat farm workers fairly.

New CDC Health Resources Database- December 2007

CDC Community Health Resources Database (webpage)
Shape Up Summit April 2006 Statistics (PDF)
Strategic Alliance - Promoting Healthy Food and Activity Environments -The Alliance's goal is to benefit the health and wellness of all California residents by promoting environmental solutions and institutional and government policies and practices that support healthy eating and activity. The Strategic Alliance focuses its promotion of healthy eating and activity environments through five key sectors: Children's Environments, Government, Industry Practices, Health Care System, Media.

"10,115,000 People in California Share in Struggles to Put Food On the Table"
November 2007 Newsletter (webpage)

RWJF News Digest: Childhood Obesity

Recent digest of key articles from major journals and news publications on the topic of Childhood Obesity.
The digest is provided as a free service of The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (webpage), and is edited and compiled by The Advisory Board.

November 9, 2007 RWJF Childhood Obesity Digest (webpage)
November 2, 2007 RWJF Childhood Obesity Digest (webpage)
October 28, 2007 RWJF Childhood Obesity Digest (webpage)

Lack of Sleep May Lead to Fatter Kids

Here's another reason to get the kids to bed early: More sleep may lower their risk of becoming obese. Researchers found that every additional hour per night a third-grader spends sleeping reduces the child's chances of becoming obese in sixth grade by 40 percent.
November 2007 Newsvine web article (webpage)

April 2007 Preventing Chronic Disease (PCD) Journal: Volume 4: No. 2, April 2007

Act Locally SF The Greening of San Francisco's Streetscapes July 2007 (webpage)

Obesity Rates Show No Decline in US (webpage)

Study Suggests BMI, Not Waist Circumference, Best Predictor of Early Cardiovascular Disease Risk Among Children (webpage)
A study in the September 2007 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition suggests that body mass index(BMI) is a more accurate proxy for cardiovascular disease risk among children than waist circumference.

"This presentation, by Dr. James S. Marks, MD, MPH, director of the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, describes the serious public health and social consequences of chronic diseases and their related risk factors within our current health care infrastructure"
Slide Presentation Link (webpage)

Employment Opportunities (back to top)

Bret Harte Elementary Garden Educator/Coordinator (WORD)
We are seeking a garden educator/ coordinator with experience teaching school aged children from Kindergarten – 5th grade to work directly with children and staff at Bret Harte Elementary School (BH). Garden educator/coordinator is an important position in the successful development and implementation of the garden program at Bret Harte Elementary School. The garden educator/coordinator must be visible and accessible to Bret Harte administrators, teachers, parents, and students during the program. More specifically, the major roles and responsibilities of the garden educator/coordinator fall into three categories: administrative, instruction, and collaborations/partnerships.

Education Program Director (PDF) Target hire date: August 15, 2009
The Education Director is the inspirational leader for all facets of the America SCORES Bay Area education & literacy program in San Francisco. In addition to managing various aspects of the education program, this position is involved in program training, administration and development. This is a challenging and rewarding management position offering substantial opportunities for creativity and to make an impact with at‐risk youth. This position reports to the Associate Director of America SCORES Bay Area and works closely with the Executive Director, Athletic Director and Program / Development staff.

Food Guardians (PDF):open until filled
SEFA is seeking approximately six Food Guardians. The Food Guardian team will reflect the diversity of the BVHP community. We encourage applicants with a variety of language and cultural competency skills to apply. Deadline for submission: September 3, 2009.

...become a member of the Shape Up Coalition?