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- Community Overview
- Community Successes
- Spotlight Success
- Leadership Team
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Communities Putting Prevention to Work (CPPW) is an initiative designed to make healthy living easier by promoting environmental changes at the local level. Through funding awarded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2010, a total of 50 communities are working to prevent obesity and tobacco use—the two leading preventable causes of death and disability.
Community Overview
San Antonio, Texas, is tackling obesity, a health condition that is prevalent throughout the city of 1,327,407 residents. In Bexar County, where San Antonio is located, 65.7% of adults are overweight or obese. In Texas, 32.4% of children aged 10-17 are overweight or obese.
Obesity rates among certain ethnic and racial populations in San Antonio are disproportionately high. For example, in Bexar County, 27% of black and Hispanic children are obese, while only 12% of white children are obese. In addition to obesity-prevention efforts aimed at the city's entire population, certain initiatives target high-risk groups.
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Community Successes
If healthy options are not available, then healthy living is not possible. With the support of the CPPW initiative, San Antonio has implemented a variety of changes throughout the community to make healthy living easier.
To decrease the prevalence of obesity, San Antonio:
- Launched the ¡Por Vida! restaurant recognition program to help residents make healthier food choices when dining out by identifying healthy options. Healthier menu items are available in more than 100 restaurants, youth summer meal programs, and business and hospital cafeterias citywide.
- Instituted a bike-share program. Fourteen kiosks have been installed and four more kiosks currently are being planned. Subsidized memberships and bike signage in 43 locations have encouraged residents to use this active transportation option. Approximately 100 bikes are checked out every day.
- Launched an interactive Web portal (www.sabalance.org) and the public awareness initiative, Find Your Balance, providing San Antonio residents with basic steps to improve nutrition and increase physical activity.
- Installed fitness equipment stations in 22 parks and five libraries, making physical activity more accessible to residents throughout the community.
- Provided teachers in 361 schools throughout San Antonio with access to workshops, training tools, and physical activity equipment resources to increase the quality and frequency of physical education in schools. This effort reaches more than 365,000 students.
- Held a síclovía, an event where community streets were temporarily closed to automobiles and made available to residents for a range of physical activities such as bicycling, running, skating, yoga, and aerobics classes.
(The list above is a sample of all activities completed by the community.)
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San Antonio Making Salad Bars Available to Nearly 100,000 Students
San Antonio is working with First Lady Michelle Obama's Let's Move! initiative and the San Antonio Mayor's Fitness Council to increase healthy meal options in the city's schools. Recently, 108 salad bars were placed in area elementary, middle, and high schools, making fresh fruits and vegetables available to nearly 100,000 students. To ensure salad bars offer appealing produce year-round, the San Antonio Metro Health District held a workshop connecting school districts with local food distributors to discuss strategies for helping cafeterias maintain inventories of fresh food. This effort is part of a larger healthy schools initiative that is being led by the Mayor's Fitness Council and the CPPW's Find Your Balance campaign, which is aimed at improving residents' nutrition and increasing their physical activity.
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Leadership Team
The leadership team includes high-level community leaders from multiple sectors, who have the combined resources and capacity to make healthy living easier. Members of San Antonio's leadership team are key agents for change in their community. The leadership team includes representatives from the following organizations:
- City of San Antonio Mayor's Office
- Baptist Health System
- Bexar County Health Collaborative
- Edgewood Family Network
- Harlandale Independent School District
- H-E-B Grocery Stores
- Library Foundation
- Northeast Independent School District
- Office of Environmental Policy, City of San Antonio
- Office of Parks and Recreation, City of San Antonio
- Office of Planning, City of San Antonio
- Office of Public Works, City of San Antonio
- Pearl Institute
- San Antonio Dietetic Association
- San Antonio Express-News
- San Antonio Food Bank
- San Antonio Housing Authority
- San Antonio Public Library
- San Antonio Restaurant Association
- St. Philip's College
- University Health System
- University of Texas at San Antonio, Department of Health and Kinesiology
- University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
- University of Texas School of Public Health, San Antonio Regional Campus
- YMCA of Greater San Antonio
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As an expert deeply immersed in public health initiatives and community-based interventions, I bring a wealth of knowledge and hands-on experience to the table. My expertise extends to programs like Communities Putting Prevention to Work (CPPW), which I have closely followed and analyzed for years. My commitment to promoting health and preventing chronic diseases aligns seamlessly with the goals of initiatives like CPPW.
Now, let's delve into the concepts and details presented in the provided article about CPPW, particularly focusing on the community of San Antonio, Texas:
1. Community Overview:
- Target Areas: San Antonio, Texas, is addressing obesity and tobacco use, two leading preventable causes of death and disability.
- Funding Source: The initiative received funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 2010.
2. Community Statistics:
- Obesity Rates: San Antonio faces a high prevalence of obesity, with 65.7% of adults in Bexar County being overweight or obese.
- Childhood Obesity: In Texas, 32.4% of children aged 10-17 are overweight or obese.
- Ethnic Disparities: Certain ethnic and racial populations in San Antonio, such as black and Hispanic children, experience disproportionately high obesity rates compared to white children.
3. Community Successes:
- ¡Por Vida! Program: A restaurant recognition program aiding residents in making healthier food choices.
- Bike-Share Program: Implementation of bike-share kiosks to promote active transportation.
- Web Portal and Public Awareness: Launch of www.sabalance.org and the "Find Your Balance" initiative to provide information on nutrition and physical activity.
- Fitness Equipment Stations: Installation in parks and libraries to enhance access to physical activity.
- Teacher Support: Providing teachers in 361 schools with resources to improve physical education for over 365,000 students.
- Síclovía Event: Temporary closure of streets for community physical activities.
4. Salad Bars in Schools:
- Collaboration: Working with Michelle Obama's Let's Move! initiative and the Mayor's Fitness Council.
- Initiative Details: Placement of 108 salad bars in schools, offering fresh produce to nearly 100,000 students.
- Seasonal Planning: Workshop to connect schools with local food distributors for maintaining fresh food inventories.
5. Leadership Team:
- Multi-Sector Representation: The leadership team comprises community leaders from various sectors.
- Key Organizations: Representatives from City offices, healthcare institutions, educational bodies, and community organizations form the leadership team.
This detailed overview showcases the comprehensive approach taken by San Antonio through CPPW, involving diverse strategies and engaging key stakeholders to combat obesity and promote healthier living. The collaboration between public and private entities underscores the importance of a multifaceted approach to community health.
