Twin Cities Medical Society

In 2010, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a report highlighting how local governments can help reverse the obesity epidemic that is gripping the United States.  Their recommendations made clear that community-based policies designed to make it easier for the public to engage in physical activity and to eat healthier could have a significant impact on obesity at the local level. Those recommendations, coupled with the dedication to public health that we as physicians have, is why the Twin Cities Obesity Prevention Coalition is working to educate and mobilize physicians, community organizations and individuals to advocate for community-based obesity prevention actions by local governments through the creation and passage of healthy eating/active living resolutions. 

While the health consequences of this epidemic are dire, the good news is that local governments can have a significant impact on the environmental factors that contribute to obesity, and in fact, many local governments have made noteworthy efforts to do so.  Healthy eating/active living resolutions are a significant method for communities to help guide their obesity prevention strategies and policies.  

Obesity reduction strategies that are often employed target the built environment, increased access to healthy food, addressing obesity disparities, strategies for schools, parks and recreational facilities and community and day care centers, improvements to city and county hospitals and employee wellness. In 2012, Eagan and Eden Prairie were the first Minnesota cities to pass resolutions, choosing to focus on access to healthy foods and healthy eating options in city facilities and employee wellness to name a few strategies. Other cities are currently considering similar resolutions. 

The Twin Cities Obesity Prevention Coalition members and supporters include Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota, American Heart Association, American Diabetes Association, American Cancer Society, APPEAL for Health, Rainbow Health Initiative, Burnsville Eagan Savage School District 191, HealthPartners, Minnesota Public Health Association, St. Paul Ramsey County Food and Nutrition Commission, Bloomington Public Health and physician members of the Twin Cities Medical Society. 

You can join other Minnesota communities in becoming a healthy eating/active living city.  We encourage your support and participation as we move to change norms around obesity.

View members & supporters of TCOPC

 

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