Physical Activity and Nutrition
From our storybank...
Nuestra Voz, Nuestra Salud - Our Voice, Our Health
Hood River County has the highest proportion of Latino population for any Oregon county, many of whom harvest and process the orchard crops from the Hood River Valley. In some of the county’s elementary schools, Latino children comprise more than 50% of the students.
In the late 1980s, the region’s growing Latino population founded Nuestra Communidad Sana (NCS) to address the health priorities of migrant and seasonal farmworkers.
In 2006 and 2007, the Northwest Health Foundation awarded grants to NCS and their partners at Next Door Inc. to fund La Voz Latina del Mid-Columbia, a community assessment and leadership development project. After the thorough community assessment that included 160 adults and 180 youth in focus groups and one-on-one interviews, obesity and diabetes emerged as the top health concerns for Latinos in Hood River County.
In 2009, we were very pleased to be able to provide additional funding of over $95,000 for “Nuestra Voz, Nuestra Salud” - to mobilize community action and influence policies and environments that affect opportunities for healthy eating and daily physical activity in this diverse and scenic part of Oregon.
...read moreFrom our storybank...
Fit Kids in Union County
Across America, too many kids are carrying too much weight. It’s no different in Union County, where a 2005 study found that almost 35 percent of K-12 youths were either overweight or at risk of becoming overweight.
Since there has been very little research in how to prevent childhood obesity in rural settings, the UC Fit Kids Coalition, a group of eight schools and health care organizations, invited local teens to take photos of what might be affecting kids’ decisions about eating and activity. Each teen got a disposable camera, and was sent on his or her way.
The photo project was supported by a $58,000 grant from the Northwest Health Foundation, and the picture seen here – of a dilapidated tennis court – is one of the shots taken.
The National Institutes of Health was so impressed by the project that it awarded an additional grant to support further information gathering. Efforts such as this are often successful when they take a long-term approach, and when they involve large numbers of people in the community, both of which this project has done.
...read moreGrantees:
Benton County Health Department
South Corvallis Healthy Eating Active Living Community Initiative
2008 - To implement changes that will improve opportunities for residents to engage in regular physical activity and access healthful nutrition.
$107,000
Willamette Pedestrian Coalition
Improving Health Through Pedestrian Advocacy, Empowerment and Action
2008 - To improve environmental supports for walking opportunities through the development of a pedestrian advocacy network.
$74,000
Ecotrust
Oregon Farm to School and School Garden Network
2008 - To build a statewide network of organizations and businesses dedicated to advocating for Farm-to-School policies and funding, and to effectively implementing those policies at the local level.
$105,145
Community Choices
Sustainability for Pedestrian Advocacy Efforts
2008 - To build and activate a broad-based community coalition that will advocate for pedestrian-friendly engineering improvements and policies.
$68,303
Health Policy Research Northwest
Obesity Prevention Toolkit for Healthy Lane Neighborhoods
2008 - To identify factors in the neighborhood environment that can be addressed to improve opportunities for healthy eating and active living, and to pursue a policy agenda that advocates for those changes.
$84,200
Boys & Girls clubs of the Umpqua Valley
Triple Play - a game plan for the mind, body & soul
2008 - To improve and expand their physical activity and nutrition program, and to train youth to advocate for health-promoting changes in their community that will support these behaviors.
$55,467
Wasco Sherman Public Health Department
Wasco Sherman Physical Activity and Nutrition Coalition
2006 - will incorporate Health Impact Assessments into city and county planning and development decisions, support rural school districts to implement new school wellness policies, establish a community garden, and promote the use of existing walking and biking trails.
$100,000 over 4 years
Pathways 2020
Cowlitz on the Move Healthy Lifestyles Coalition
2006 - will mobilize action to support the completion of a county-wide trails plan, construction of a community gymnasium, and promotion and monitoring of improved school nutrition and physical activity policies.
$74,454 over 3 years
Multnomah County Health Department
Healthy Eating Active Living Coalition
2006 - will implement a physical activity and nutrition promotion program at Clarendon Elementary School in north Portland.
$99,984 over 4 years
Lane Coalition for Healthy Active Youth
Advocacy for Policy Change: A Healthier Physical Activity and Nutrition Environment in Lane County
2006 - will hire paid staff to support its volunteer network and drive its advocacy agenda, which aims to prevent childhood obesity and related diseases in Lane County.
$25,000 over 1 year
Commute Options for Central Oregon
HACO (Healthy Active Central Oregon) Initiative – Bear Creek Elementary School Neighborhood
2006 - will improve walking and biking opportunities in a Bend neighborhood while attempting to influence the broader land use planning process in the city and Deschutes County to promote environments that support regular physical activity.
$100,000 over 4 years
Community Health Partnership
Active Living and Healthy Eating: The Lents Community and Beyond
2006 - will improve physical activity and nutritional environments in the Lents neighborhood of southeast Portland by supporting a farmer’s market and improved connectivity to a recreational trail, and by promoting transportation and urban renewal initiatives. The coalition will also advocate for health-promoting land use and zoning policies at the state and regional level.
$100,000 over 4 years
Benton County Health Department
Benton County Healthy Weight and Lifestyle Coalition
2006 - will promote access to healthy food choices in schools, workplaces, and the community as a whole by strengthening strategic partnerships and supporting such efforts as a Farm-to-Cafeteria pilot program in two school districts, a new garden market at local businesses, and research to improve linkages between farmers and the food system.
$24,998 over 1 year