Some strategies for improving obesity at the community level include creating healthier food and physical activity environments (i.e. bike paths, access to fresh fruit and veggies, etc), improving school environments (opportunity for more physical activity, nutritious food choices, etc) and working towards health equity for all children. As a pediatrician or parent you can be an effective advocate in your community for improving your environment.   For example you could join existing coalitions or start new ones, participate in parent teacher organizations, and/or write letters to your local and state elected officials.

Strategies for Enhancing the Built Environment to Support Healthy Eating and Active Living , a policy brief developed by the Prevention Institute. Which outlines three target areas - active transportation and public transit, activity-friendly recreation environments, and land use planning and provides a general overview of the breadth of strategies and federal policies to effect change.

For additional resources visit Helpful Links.

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There are many opportunities to become advocates at the state to help create and ensure food and physical activity environments that support active healthy living.   Some tools to help you in your effort are identified below. For additional resources visit Helpful Links

AAP Division of State Government Affairs is tasked with providing assistance to AAP chapters as they advocate for children. The Division offers resources for advocates on vital children's health issues like Medicaid, injury and violence prevention, immunizations, and many others. Advocacy materials produced by the Division cover the legislative, research, and strategic dimensions of an issue.

• State Legislation Report : The 2007 State Legislation Report outlines activity on 11 issues relating to children's health and safety. The narrative for each issue explains the state activity that occurred during the 2007 state legislative sessions. State-by-state legislation charts include information from 2007 as well as previous years and maps provide a national perspective on state action.  Obesity information can be found on page 43.
• Obesity Issue Brief : Issue Briefs provide AAP chapters with an introduction to state government issues and additional background information that can be used when communicating with legislators or other public officials.

National Initiative for Healthcare Quality (NICHQ) State Obesity Fact Sheets are now available from NICHQ's project partner, the Data Resource Center, as an interactive map. The State Fact Sheets offer information specific to your state on a variety of policy issues impacting (and being impacted by) childhood obesity such as: overall prevalence rates compared with other states, disparities and variances by race, insurance, income level, what your state is doing at the legislative level to combat childhood obesity, and what schools in your state are doing to combat childhood obesity

The Childhood Obesity Action Network (COAN) has just published a new report, Childhood Obesity: The Role of Health Policy , that provides recommendations on actions that various stakeholders in health care (including providers, plans and employers) can take to mount an effective health care response to the epidemic of childhood obesity.  This report serves to lay a foundation for that response and guide the activities of the Childhood Obesity Action Network (COAN).

State Legislation Searchable Database The Division of Nutrition and Physical Activity at Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's state legislation searchable database. The database allows users to search for state bills from 2001 to present related to nutrition and/or physical activity. Users are asked to pick either nutrition or physical activity on the first page or they may select the either option for the whole database. Users can use search fields, enter keywords, or search the entire database. There are no required search fields, so if the user simply hits "search" they will be able to access all bills in that subject area. This database is available to the general public and no registration or password is required. This database was created after requests from state partners and is the first public access database of its kind.

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AAP Department of Federal Affairs
The Department of Federal Affairs has been the Academy's link to federal legislative activities in Washington, DC, for more than 30 years. Pediatricians with the drive to make a difference in child and adolescent health through Congress and/or federal agencies are given the information and tools necessary to become effective child advocates, from offering testimony to meeting with a representative or senator.

Resources are available at the Member Center .

Current opportunities for advocacy at the national level in 2009 are the reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act, the Transportation Equity Act and No Child Left Behind.

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