Advocacy update: reducing obesity through recreation: park and recreation agencies need increased federal funding to support efforts to reduce health problems.

NRPA has a long history of working with federal policymakers to devise strategies to prevent obesity and its resulting health consequences, and to help reverse the trend toward inactivity in the U.S. We have advocated for federal programs, developed alternative approaches to combating obesity, and have helped to identify contributing environmental and social factors that could lead to obesity. As the federal government continues to develop new programs to combat obesity, NRPA will continue to seek partnerships and alliances to further the government's efforts. NRPA supports federal anti-obesity programs that positively impact the environment and have the potential to improve the daily lives of Americans.

While America is confronted with an obesity crisis that threatens our nation's health, economy and future, it is important that physical activity is seen as a viable strategy for disease prevention and health promotion for all people. Nearly 119 million adults, representing 65 percent of the population, are currently overweight or obese. About 15 percent of children are overweight, a condition that increases the risk of high cholesterol, high blood pressure and diabetes. Estimates for the direct and indirect costs of obesity range from $51.5 to $78.5 billion per year.

Public parks and recreation facilities offer low-cost opportunities to all Americans of every age, ability and income level to increase their daily amount of physical activity and thus prevent chronic health conditions. Also, most physical activity among children occurs outside of the school setting. Community sports and recreation programs can complement the efforts of schools by providing children opportunities to engage in the types and levels of physical activity that may not be offered in school.

Many federal policymakers recognize the important role that public parks and recreation agencies can--and do--play in addressing the obesity epidemic; however, NRPA will continue to educate and guide policymakers toward the most appropriate strategies directed toward the most appropriate settings. Federal policymakers have just begun to develop initiatives to combat obesity and to promote the general population's health and well-being. These tactics generally fall into one of three categories:

Public education campaigns targeted at individual behavior change 

* The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) VERB Campaign uses media outlets and community events to encourage children to be physically active. Despite achieving its goal of increasing the amount of free-time physical activity for targeted children, the president decided to terminate funding for this program in his budget request for next year. NRPA's advocacy efforts to secure $70 million for this program resulted in saving the program from termination, but only securing $11.2 million in funds from the House.

* Federal policymakers have made progress toward helping to provide healthy choices for Americans. Nutrition resources provided by the federal government include the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the newly revised Food Guide Pyramid. Proper food intake can be self-monitored by referring to the Nutrition Facts label, an information system provided by the Food and Drug Administration. NRPA supported funding allocations for all of these federal programs and battled congressional and executive branch efforts to reduce appropriations toward these programs.

Treatment of obesity-related diseases 

* The CDC's Division of Physical Nutrition and Physical Activity has provided funds for 23 states to implement a program to prevent obesity. Despite NRPA's advocacy efforts to obtain $70 million to fund this program, Congress only allocated $49.9 million for this program for next year. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) also conducts obesity-related research, and has a budget of $440 million for 2005 to guide scientific research in this area. NRPA advocated for additional funds for NIH to conduct this important research, but Congress only appropriated level funding for this agency.

* Congressional legislative proposals have been discussed to implement new tax policies for employers and employees. Two such proposals, one for employer-provided wellness programs and one to enable employees to expense the costs of fitness programs on their Flexible Spending Accounts, have the potential to start implementing changes in the business community. NRPA has been involved in these legislative proposals and will continue to work to make sure that public park and recreation programs and facilities qualify under the tax incentives.

Developing community-based active living incentives

* The vast majority of federal legislation in Congress now focuses on initiatives to provide community-based grants or incentives to encourage physical activity. If enacted into law, the Childhood Obesity Reduction Act (S. 1324), the Prevention of Childhood Obesity Act (S. 799) and the Healthy Lifestyles and Prevention Act (S. 1064) would award competitive grants to states to support activities to implement childhood obesity prevention and control plans. The Improved Nutrition and Physical Activity Act (S. 1325) provides grants to provide health services for improved nutrition, increased physical activity and obesity prevention. NRPA has been working with the various sponsors of these bills to ensure that park and recreation agencies are eligible entities to receive the grants and to ensure that any grant recipients work with local and state park and recreation departments to develop comprehensive plans to encourage physical activity.

Alternative Approaches

Recognizing the ineffectiveness of the traditional approach that solely focuses on individual responsibility, the legislature's initiatives address the wider range of contributing factors. Incentives to manufacturers, restrictions on children's television advertising, more accurate food labels and planned communities with an emphasis on green space are all beginning to be discussed at the federal level. All of these tactics represent just a start toward the development of a more comprehensive and effective approach to the obesity crisis.

A growing number of studies show that people in activity-friendly environments are more likely to be physically active in their leisure time. Several elements of the built environment can contribute to encouraging physical activity, including better access to facilities, facility quality, safe places and walkable neighborhoods. Park and recreation agencies need adequate public funding to update their facilities and to situate their facilities in the neighborhoods that they are attempting to serve. In addition, agencies need to have the funds in their budgets to provide lighted trails and parks and to employ park police.

The indoor and outdoor facilities managed by public parks and recreation nationwide serve as an enormous asset to engage more people in active recreational pursuits and healthy lifestyles. No other service provider has the "physical plant" that park and recreation systems have to improve health.

Federal policymakers engage in the proper rhetoric to identify contributing factors of obesity, but they often fall short when it comes to actually funding programs that may have an impact on combating obesity. The federal government must recognize the crucial role that park and recreation agencies play in combating obesity and provide secure, sufficient and stable funding for parks and recreation.

ACTION ALERT

Help secure funding for these crucial federal programs by contacting your members of Congress to encourage them to, at a minimum, protect the funding levels that are in the current pieces of legislation. To get the contact information for your congressional representative and senator, visit www. congress.org.

Monica Hobbs Vinluan, J.D.

Monica Hobbs Vinluan is the senior policy associate for health and wellness issues for NRPA's Division of Public Policy. She has more than six years of legislative and policy advocacy experience, working on various health promotion issues.