Lessons in fighting obesity

I mentioned last week the ambitious effort being undertaken by some local folks to improve health care for people with chronic diseases. And YorkCounts, through its Community Solutions committee, has made fighting obesity one of two priorities for community action (the other is improving student performance in reading and math), based on the 2009 Indicators Report. Turns out we're not the only place fighting obesity. A recent article in USA Today tells the story of Somerville, Mass., where town leaders have created a program to reduce childhood obesity and promote healthful living that could serve as model for communities around the country.

Somerville's experiment began in 2002, when researchers from Tufts University decided to find out whether efforts to promote exercise and healthful eating could help prevent obesity among schoolchildren.

The program, Shape Up Somerville, was first aimed at elementary school kids, 44% of whom were either overweight or at risk of becoming overweight.

With grants from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and philanthropic groups, the researchers had schools replace French fries, candy, soda and other unhealthful foods with fresh fruit, skim milk and other nutritious choices. The city added bike lanes and pedestrian crosswalks to encourage people to exercise. Restaurants offered more healthful items on menus; residents planted community gardens.

After just one year, the schoolchildren first targeted showed results: They gained 15% less weight than other average kids their age. Twice as many people were riding bikes along the community's bike paths.

"It's powerful to see those numbers change like that," says Nicole Rioles, who runs the ongoing Shape Up program

The folks in Somerville are showing it can be done. If they can do it, so can we.

- Dan Fink