If you read the headlines, you are keenly aware that we are in the midst of a serious obesity problem. Seventeen percent of children and 35 percent of adults in the United States are obese. In addition to the impact obesity has on individuals and their daily lives, it exacts a crippling toll on the health care system, with the treatment of obesity and obesity-related diseases costing more than $147 billion each year.
There are a lot of good ideas when it comes to solving obesity. First Lady Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” initiative, which focuses on raising the consciousness of children and their families around eating a balanced diet and being more physically active, is a positive approach that has captured the imagination of millions of American families. Unfortunately, there have been a lot of bad ideas as well that promote a single panacea or silver bullet solution to solve the obesity epidemic.
From our vantage points -- as a healthy-weight advocate within the food industry and an expert in public health respectively -- we see obesity as a complex problem that requires a comprehensive solution. No single person, sector, organization or government agency can solve this problem alone. However, when people and organizations with disparate views come together to investigate new ideas and develop new ways of thinking, the results can be very powerful.
For instance, the food and beverage industry is playing an important role in developing and implementing programs that help people eat better and move more. Food and beverage companies are reformulating their products to remove calories, sugar, fat and sodium, which is no easy task and requires many technological innovations to maintain the quality and palatability that consumers expect from foods they buy. They are investing in educational programs for school children that help them learn to make healthy decisions that develop into healthy habits for a lifetime. They are using advertising to promote healthier products and change social norms about health on children’s television shows. And beverage vending machines serving elementary, middle and high schools have been put on a strict diet: suppliers voluntarily swapped out sodas for zero- or low-calorie drinks and bottled water, leading to a 90 percent reduction in beverage calories.
Of course, there is no doubt that some stakeholders are skeptical of industry efforts when it comes to obesity. So, the Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation (HWCF), a not-for-profit organization founded by food and beverage companies and dedicated to promoting healthy lifestyles, recently partnered with the City University of New York (CUNY) Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy to create the Commitment to Healthy Communities (CHC) initiative. CHC evaluates corporate-community investment in healthful eating and active living programs and catalyzes multi-sector action toward collective impact on community health.
The goal is not simply to judge the merits of corporate strategies; the CHC uses its research to promote what works and develop new strategies to replace the ones that don’t. An independent panel of experts oversaw the development of CHC’s framework for evaluating company strategies and programs that promote healthy lifestyles in communities across the country. Some of the world’s largest and most recognized food companies are participating, including General Mills, the Kellogg Company, PepsiCo, The Coca-Cola Company, Nestlé, The J.M. Smucker Company, Campbell Soup Company and others. The results of the project’s year one assessment have been compiled; they show not only progress and promise, but the need for continued work.
That is why CHC is a multi-year effort. As a next step, CUNY and HWCF are developing metrics and insights that companies can use to boost the impact of their community health and wellness programs. Meanwhile, we're spreading awareness about the most effective programs so other stakeholders in the private sector can replicate those success stories, or add to their momentum by joining existing causes.
The CHC is a novel approach designed to cohere the strengths of the public sector (including academia) and the private sector in pursuit of a common goal -- reducing the prevalence of childhood obesity within a generation. The private sector is a powerful lever in the battle against obesity, but that power needs to be directed in meaningful and impactful ways. The public sector’s power is limited when it comes to improving the nutritional quality of the food supply and connecting with American consumers, but it can bring its expertise to bear to ensure private sector investment -- from developing more healthful products to adopting more responsible marketing practices -- is meaningful and transparent.
The collaboration the CHC and HWCF has fostered may prove to be a roadmap for future public–private cooperation in facing down major public health challenges, now and in the future. After all, when diverse sectors across the public-private divide join forces, we have a much better chance of success.
The Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation is a broad-based, not-for-profit organization whose mission is to help reduce obesity, especially childhood obesity, by encouraging positive and permanent lifestyle changes among school-aged children and their families. Learn more at HealthyWeightCommit.org.