The New York City Borough of Brooklyn has been working to make progress on childhood obesity, particularly this past year as part of New York mayor Mike Bloomberg’s initiatives for policy change. With 40% of Kindergarten to Grade 8 children overweight or obese, they have their work cut out for them. Interestingly, a recent article in BrooklynInk says that even after this policy change, New York physicians, educators and even the health department are now saying that policy change alone isn’t enough to make real change in childhood obesity.
“There’s no one answer,” says Health Department representative Cathy Nonas.
Nonas says the city’s policies, which include providing healthier foods in schools, stipulating 120 minutes of exercise per week in school, and providing food stamps for farmer’s markets, cannot inherently change children’s behavior outside of school. Children are strongly influenced by their home and community environments, which are difficult for the city to reach.
Nonas, many pediatricians, and families dealing with childhood obesity say the mayor’s policies need to be supplemented by local initiatives.
The article goes on to say that community initiatives are popping up all over the city to step in to the policy gaps, and many in a much quieter way than high-profile programs like US First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move.
In an area like Sunset Park where the out-of-school environment promotes unhealthy behavior and Mayor Bloomberg’s policies are not necessarily changing children’s eating and living habits, community groups are necessary to supplement Bloomberg’s policies.
“You really need both,” says Columbia University’s Dr. Dodi Meyer of policy and community initiatives. “I think it’s not either or, it’s all of them working together.”
Read more from the article, Community Programs Fill Gaps in Childhood Obesity Policy.
