FEATURE OUTLINE

Headline: SLO County Coalition Works to Overcome Childhood Obesity
Focus: An up-and-coming San Luis Obispo County coalition known as HEAL SLO (Healthy Eating Active Living San Luis Obispo,) seeks to stem the tide of childhood obesity.
Theme: Make a difference! A large and worthwhile movement is underway. Hop on board.
Idea for Lede:
Slow and steady wins the race; and SLO is steadily winning the race - against childhood obesity, that is. While childhood obesity, and its resulting health concerns, is of national importance, dealing with it might be done most effectively at the community-level. At least, that's what leaders of the Childhood Obesity Prevention Task Force believe.

Outline. (Probably will need to tweak it as I write)
I. The problem: Childhood Obesity (nationwide, but focus is SLO county) Epidemic
  A.  What percentage of our children are obese/overweight?
  i.  Statistics of childhood obesity
ii. What is classified as "obese" vs. "overweight"
iii. What percentage of children are obese/overweight
  iv. 20-25 years ago/now
v. compared to European stats
B. Why should we care?
i. Health problems. Obesity causes increased risk of:
a.  Diabetes. Cardiovascular disease. etc. higher death rate/reduced life expectancy
C. Why obesity is a "growing" problem
i. Lack of physical activity/overconsumption of calories due to:
ii. Lack of education, in this case parents/school programs targeted, to encourage/teach better food choices among children
iii.  Widespread availability of fast/processed food, especially in school settings
iv.  Increase in sedentary activities
a.  Children used to play outside with friends/now chat online
b. Competitive sport emphasized over "play." Children who lack competency in particular sports end up hating it and dropping it when old enough (Interview: Prof. Milner of Westmont College?)
c. TV/internet/video games.
II. Combating the problem: (this section will be expanded upon after the interviews)
A. Community-wide Task Force under acronym: "HEAL SLO"
i. Stands for Healthy Eating Active Living San Luis Obispo
B. Who it involves?
i. Childhood Obesity Prevention Task Force:
a. Widespread Coalition of Schools/Health Centers/Community Centers/parents/children
b. Santa Barbara, Ventura, and other counties implementing or already have similar programs
i.  List goals
a. Goals of organization.
C. What are their methods?
  i. Socio-Ecological model
ii. Emphasizes holistic wellness: healthy eating, active living. Balanced, healthy, and long-term lifestyle choices. III. How does this involve you? Don't have to be a parent.
III. How to get involved
A. Personal level:
i. Set good example
a. If you're overweight/practice unhealthy eating habits, how can you expect your child/child's life to be any different? Children emulate the adults in their life
ii. Learn about healthy eating choices
a. Through sites such as the Gold Coast Regional Nutrition Network, American Health Association, Mayo Clinic
b. Community classes
c. Newsletters/books/reading materials (list top few)
iii. If parent, talk to children about healthy eating choices and only buy healthy food
iv. Encourage active lifestyle:
a. By taking walks with them rather than watching TV or other more sedentary activities
b. Take to national/regional parks to explore nature
c. Help them understand that even if they're not good at, for instance, ball sports, they might love something like hiking or rock climbing. Alternative activities
B. At a community level
i. Encourage local schools to incorporate healthier eating options into lunches/snack machines
ii. List community programs that parents/adults can get involved in for a more action-oriented approach
iii. Donate to: (list links)


Sources:
Rachael Willey
SLO Public Health Department
Contact for Obesity Prevention Task Force
Tel: (805) 215-9524
email: rmwilley@gmail.com

Gold Coast Regional Nutrition Network
Ramona Sloan, MPH, GCRNN Director
Tel: 805.677.5279
Contact: Amy Gilman
email: acgillman@yahoo.com

Phyllis Bramson-Paul, MPPA
Director, Nutrition Services Division (NSD), California Department of Education
Tel: (916) 323-7311
Email: pbramson@cde.ca.gov

Pat Crawford, DrPH, RD
Adjunct Professor, Nutrition Specialist, and Co-Director of the UC Berkeley Center for Weight and Health
Tel: (510) 642-5572
Email: crawford@socrates.berkeley.edu

Scott Gee, MD
Medical Director of Prevention and Health Information at Kaiser Permanente – Northern California
Telephone: (510) 987-4358
Email: scott.gee@kp.org

Nancy Gelbard, MPH, RD
Chief of California Obesity Prevention Initiative at the Department of Health Services (COPI)
Tel: (916) 552-9949 or (530) 220-7859
Email: ngelbard@dhs.ca.gov