Can We Transform WA Into a Blue Zone?

By Greg Cook, WHF Associate

Can you imagine a community where hardly anyone suffers from chronic diseases such as diabetes? A place where heart disease is a thing of the past and the smell of tobacco smoke is unknown? A location where you and your neighbors expect to live well past the average life expectancy? Such places exist in the real world, and scientists studying health and longevity have a name for them: “Blue Zones.”

Blue Zones (the title of a book) have been identified in several locations around the world. Life in a Blue Zone includes healthy eating, plenty of daily movement, and a positive outlook on life. Now there are efforts underway to replicate Blue Zones in other places. One such pilot project is underway in Minnesota, as reported on in an August, 2010 edition of U.S. News & World Report. So far, the results are promising, with increased rates of walking, a shift to better eating habits, and numerous stories of weight loss.

Could communities across Washington state become Blue Zones? There are some encouraging developments. Recent data show that our state has one of the lowest smoking rates in the nation. There is a growing consensus that school children require more exercise (including to and from schools as a part of that exercise) and better nutrition. This awareness has been bolstered by legislation on farm-to-school food purchasing and safe routes to schools infrastructure projects.

Blue Zone promoters are looking at the workplace as another front on the campaign to invest in good health and erode levels of chronic disease. Provisions in the new federal health care legislation will assist small business owners set up employee wellness programs. Such programs, when properly implemented, prove to be a win-win for employers and workers: absenteeism rates decline and employees enjoy a healthier life both at work and at home in the community.

The non-profit Washington Health Foundation through its Healthiest State Campaign in collaboration with the Washington State Department of Health is laying the groundwork for a state-wide public/private partnership to put some of these ideas into practice. The Healthiest Communities Partnership is assembling members from the business, non-profit, medical, and government sectors to begin strategizing about how to make our state a healthier state, and to make good everyday decisions about smoking, nutrition, and physical activity the easy choices.

To find out more about the Healthiest Communities Partnership click here.

Tobacco Taxes

By Coral Sisk, WHF Associate

With all the talk in recent years about obesity, it is easy to lose sight of the fact that tobacco use still “noses out” obesity as the leading cause of preventable death.

Taxing tobacco is one of the most effective ways to reduce smoking [1]. Studies show that a 10% real price increase on tobacco products results in a reduction of 6-7% in smoking among youth [2]. Voters are favorably inclined towards raising tobacco taxes [3] to address state deficits rather than increasing income or sales tax. At the same time, non-profit social organizations lack funding for programs that assist and engage the mentally ill, addicts, the poor, homeless, and minority populations in smoking cessation. Studies show that as tobacco use abates, these groups contain an increasingly disproportionate share of remaining smokers. This year in Olympia, Legislators tacked on an extra buck in tax on every pack of smokes, but the lion’s share of those funds will go into the state’s general fund. Taxing tobacco is among the most effective means for promoting cessation, so the tax is a tobacco reduction strategy in itself. But as remaining smokers become fewer and more difficult to reach, more intensive prevention programs as well as clinically provided cessation interventions require continued public funding. The Healthiest State Campaign is pleased for the legislature’s continued support, albeit at a reduced level now, for a public health approach to tax fund use to support tobacco cessation efforts as part of healthy communities and opportunities for everyone. But more still needs to be done for the sake of health and equity.

The Healthiest State Campaign with help from the Washington State Department of Health is reaching out to communities across the state to build a broad-based public/private partnership to prevent chronic diseases. It is all about exploring together the best ways to make healthy choices about diet, exercise and tobacco the easy choices.

To learn more about the Healthiest Communities Partnership, click here.

References:

1. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Reducing Tobacco Use: A Report of the Surgeon General, Atlanta, Georgia: HHS, CDC, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 2000, http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/sgr/sgr_2000/index.htm.

2. http://www.tobaccofreekids.org/research/factsheets/pdf/0021.pdf.

3. http://www.tobaccofreekids.org/reports/state_tax_report/downloads/state_tax_polling_2010.pdf.

http://www.tobaccofreekids.org/reports/state_tax_report/.

Safe Routes to School Encourage Kids to Be Active

By Adam Nelson and Greg Cook, WHF Associates

As children in Washington age they engage less and less in healthy physical activities. Sixty-two percent of 6^th graders, forty-six percent of 8^th graders, forty-four percent of 10^th graders and forty percent of 12^th graders met physical activity recommendations according to a report from the Washington State Department of Health (WSDOH) released in January 2010. What can be done and, just as important, what is being done to reverse the downward slide into inactivity? One part of the puzzle is the federally-funded Safe Routes to School program. In our state the program is administered by the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT). There is also a national alliance devoted to promoting this approach to improving health and safety.

Safe Routes to School programs are foundational for promoting life-long physical activities among our state’s children. Programs like Safe Routes to School, and organizations like the Washington Bicycle Alliance and Feet First, are working to make walking or bicycling in the community safe and sustainable activities. Evidence-based research published in 2010 demonstrates that by engaging families, schools, urban planners, and public safety professionals, these programs, and programs like them, help increase the rates of physical activity by creating safe environments for youth.

In previous years WSDOT has awarded $10 million to 39 projects under Safe Routes, and another $15 million toward general pedestrian and bicycle safety. Larrabee Elementary School in the Bellingham School District is one of the first projects to be completed by the WSDOT. The project includes bicycle and pedestrian safety education, increased enforcement, a neighborhood awareness campaign and promotional events at school. The school community at Larrabee now has increased access to physical activity opportunities by engaging parents, teachers, students and school staff to turn an infrastructure improvement into a health improvement.

WSDOT is currently reviewing grant applications for Safe Routes to School projects. At the federal level, Safe Routes to School funding has been under assault but for the time being remains in place. At a time when there is growing recognition of epidemic levels of childhood obesity, cutting a program to promote childhood activity seems short-sighted. This 2008 report from WSDOH lays out the public health policy choices necessary to get us on track in the race to become the healthiest state in the nation. Safe Routes to Schools for our children can play an important role in that race and can help make walking or biking to school the easy choice.

The Healthiest Communities Partnership with help from WSDOH is reaching out to communities across the state to build a broad-based public/private partnership for preventing chronic diseases, making healthy choices about diet, exercise and tobacco the easy choices. To learn more about the Healthiest Communities Partnership, click here.

Loans Help Farmers Market Food

By Coral Sisk, WHF Associate

Farms equal food. When local farmers provide food for their communities they help make fresh nutritious foods an easier choice for people wanting to lead healthier lives. The Humanlinks Foundation, in conjunction with Banner Bank, recently began an innovative micro-finance program that encourages aspiring Washington farmers to strengthen their local farming communities. This program does the remarkable—it empowers small farmers or local farmer want-to-bes with a small, but critical amount of capital in the form of a micro-loan at a favorable interest rate. These loans can be used to start a farm or expand an already existing agriculture enterprise. Studies show that micro-financing has one of the lowest default rates as a loan program and creates an equal playing field for entrepreneurship throughout most social-economic levels.

More local farmers equal more fresh produce. This effort by Humanlinks and Banner Bank provides one model for encouraging a sustainable and healthy Washington State by granting small farmers the financial ability to produce more fresh food for our communities. The consumption of such foods decreases the risk of chronic disease. Rapidly increasing amounts of farmland across the nation are disappearing due to rising costs in agriculture. Small farmers without access to favorable credit have had a tough timekeeping up with production needs. But now Washington State has an opportunity to preserve precious farmland that will be utilized by hardworking farmers to produce food. Visit www.humanlinksfoundation.org for more details on how to take advantage of this loan program and help spread the word to aspiring agriculture entrepreneurs or farming communities in Washington State.

Want to get involved? The Healthiest Communities Partnership with help from the Washington State Department of Health is reaching out to communities across the state to build a broad-based public/private partnership to prevent chronic diseases. It is all about exploring together the best ways to make healthy choices about diet, exercise and tobacco the easy choices. To learn more about the Healthiest Communities Partnership, click here.

More data can be found on the DOH website:

http://www.doh.wa.gov/cfh/NutritionPA/facts_and_figures/worksite_data/default.htm.

(Note: Data are from 2005 and 2006 and cover access to healthy foods as well as access to places to be physically active in Washington.)

Screen Time

By Adam Nelson, WHF Associate

Up to $10 billion dollars per year are spent by food marketers, targeted at children as young as two years old. Food advertising does affect children’s food preferences, and has been linked to childhood obesity. The CDC recommends no more of 2 hours per day of screen time per day for children, one reason being the exposure to food related advertising. Screen time is defined as time spent watching television, playing video games, and using the computer.

Food advertising is thought to be one specific reason for screen time’s link to obesity, in addition to reduced time for physical activity. A study published in Feb. 2010 suggests that media advertising is a link to obesity in children. The study separated media into 5 different categories divided by educational content, exposure to advertising, and media i.e. DVD, cable, or broadcast TV. Media that contained food advertising was linked to obesity, but children who spent more time in front of the screen were not found to be less physically active.

Several actions can help reduce the negative effects of advertising on children’s food preferences. Counter-advertising for nutritious foods and implementing policies limiting food advertising to children are some community level actions which can be taken. Parents may also take an active role in reducing exposure to advertising by limiting screen time by restricting commercial based programming, choosing educational based programs such as those found on PBS, and discussing food choices with children. The Washington Active Body Active Minds website is a resource for parents who what to learn more about the effects of screen time.

Media based advertising is just one contributor to the obesity epidemic in Washington State. The Healthiest State Campaign is teaming up with the state’s Department of Health to develop a new public/private Healthiest Communities Partnership. We want to make healthy choices, like regular physical activity, the easy choices in our state.

To learn more about the Healthiest Communities Partnership, click here.

Employee Wellness Programs and Tobacco Cessation

By Coral Sisk, WHF Associate

Employee wellness programs offered through employers can be a crucial component for people trying to manage their chronic conditions and make informed decisions about their healthcare. A growing number of employers are recognizing that providing opportunities for their employees to attain higher levels of health contributes to greater productivity—everyone ends up a winner.

Here in Washington, The Sound Health and Wellness Trust provides wellness support for chronic disease prevention as well as tobacco cessation resources through their LiveWell health benefits program available at no additional cost with employer-provided medical coverage plans. Livwell launched its Quit for Life program [1] in 2008 and has experienced a satisfaction rate of 94.8% among its thousands of participants. In addition to access to resources like Quitline, professional coaches, and medications, the Trust offers incentives to quit such as $100 rewards for five completed phone counseling sessions with a certified Quit Coach. The Trust estimates that out of the 28,000 eligible members, 4,200 are tobacco users. The average annual goal for the Quit for Life participation is 6.0% and in 2009 the trust assisted 9.8% of this population with their smoking cessation goals. Employee supported wellness programs are just one of the several evidence based strategies for aiding tobacco cessation. This is one choice that some employers have made to encourage access to healthy behavioral change outreach.

The Healthiest Communities Partnership is a public/private collaboration between the Washington Health Foundation’s Healthiest State Campaign and the Washington State Department of Health. The essence of this effort is about finding the best ways to make healthy choices about diet, exercise and tobacco the easy choices.

To learn more about the Healthiest Communities Partnership, click here.

References:

1.) http://www.soundhealthwellness.com/ppo/aboutQuitForLife.php

Too Much Salt in Our Diets?

By Robin Brown, WHF Associate

Recently, talk of government intervention in the issue of American salt intake has been drawing attention from both ends of the political spectrum. The federal government is under pressure from the Institute of Medicine to place limitations on the amount of salt consumed by Americans as we observe a dramatic rise in cardiovascular disease and hypertension within the general population [1]. However, many feel that such regulations would allow unacceptable levels of governmental control over individual choices. On the other side of the argument stand those who maintain that the government is a more appropriate entity to control salt intake than the industries profiting from the sale of salty foods.

It is estimated that only eleven percent of the salt that we consume on a day-to-day basis actually comes from our own saltshakers [2] and that up to seventy-five percent comes from prepared food we buy [3]. The unhealthy effects of high levels of salt intake are undeniable. A recent study of the relationship between habitual salt intake and cardiovascular disease and stroke demonstrates a strong association between high salt intake and increased risk for those diseases [4]. Salt intake is the most important factor in differences of blood pressure both within as well as between populations. A diet high in salt can worsen renal disease and asthma, and there is some evidence that it is linked to osteoporosis [5]. Yet, we as Americans consume almost twice the recommended amount of salt per day, costing the country between ten and twenty-four billion dollars yearly for the cost of related health care problems [6].

The salt reduction policies in other nations have proven successful. For example, in 2003 England’s Department of Health and food manufacturers came together to help reduce individual salt consumption to below 2,400 milligrams daily. Since these efforts began, salt consumption in England has dropped ten percent, saving an estimated 6,000 lives. Finland has taken even more dramatic action and the results are promising. Starting in the 1970’s, the government has required “high salt” labels on any foods with salt content above a certain level, and salt consumption has fallen thirty percent [7]. In the U.S., while there has been no official policy limiting the amount of salt in foods sold, a total of sixteen large food companies have pledged to limit salt in their products. These manufacturers include Kraft Foods, Subway, Starbucks, and Heinz, and they have made this promise thanks o the National Salt Reduction Initiative [8]. The National Salt Reduction Initiative is a coalition of health organizations and local governments that aims to reduce salt intake from packaged and restaurants foods by 25 percent over the next five years [9].

Whether you believe that the government should restrict our salt intake through policy change, or believe in individual choices through increased awareness, this is a problem that is costing all of us in terms of general health as well as in terms of money. It is, however, a problem that can be solved through collective effort.

The Healthiest Communities Partnership with help from the Washington State Department of Health is reaching out to communities across the state to build a broad-based public/private partnership to prevent chronic diseases. It is all about exploring together the best ways to make healthy choices about diet, exercise and tobacco the easy choices. To learn more about the Healthiest Communities Partnership, click here.

References

[1] Badger Emily. “Uncle Sam's Hand on Your Salt Shaker,” Miller-McCune Online.

[2] Ibid.

[3] O'Callaghan, Tiffany. “U.S. Food and Drug Administration plans to set limits on sodium content in processed foods.” Time Online.

[4] Ibid.

[5] MacGregor, Graham A. "More Adverse Effects.” American Journal of Hypertension.

[6] Ibid.

[7] Ness, Roberta B. “Controversies in Epidemiology and Policy: Salt Reduction and Prevention of Heart Disease.” National Association of County and City Health Officials.

[8] Rogers, David, “Dietitians Support National Salt Reduction Initiative to pinch sodium intake,” Palm Beach Daily News.

[9] “Health Department Announces Proposed Targets for Voluntary Salt Reduction in Packaged and Restaurant Foods.” New York City Department of Health and Hygiene.