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Leadership for Healthy Communities
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Home > Resources > Leadership

Leadership

Articles | Briefs & Primers | Presentations | Reports | Tools | Helpful Links

Articles

  • Childhood Obesity Crisis: What Can Counties Do?
    National Association of Counties (NACo)
    March 2004
    While obesity among children and adolescents has more than doubled in the last 30 years, obesity among black and Hispanic children has increased 120 percent. These and other statistics are highlighted in this short article, along with tips on what counties can do to reverse this troubling trend.

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Briefs & Primers

  • Improving Access to Healthy Foods: A Guide for Policy-Makers [PDF]
    Leadership for Healthy Communities (LHC)
    January 2007
    This guide focuses on healthy eating and highlights why a healthy diet remains out of reach for many Americans. It explores how officials at the state and local levels can facilitate healthy eating by adopting policies that help communities improve access to affordable, healthy foods for all residents.

  • The Obesity Epidemic-How States Can Trim the Fat [PDF]
    National Governors Association (NGA) Center for Best Practices
    June 2002
    Many states are employing innovative strategies to combat the obesity epidemic — from soft drink taxes to community programs and public education campaigns. This brief describes the obesity problem and offers tools, tactics and recommendations for state leaders to address obesity and its causes.

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Presentations

2004

  • ICMA Brownbag Series, Webcasts
    ICMA hosted a series of interactive Webcasts in 2004 to provide local government officials with educational opportunities.

  • Active Living Initiatives in Columbia, MO [PDF]
    Darwin Hindman, Mayor, city of Columbia, MO

May 2003

  • Leadership for Healthy Communities Workshop, Louisville, Kentucky
    In addition to educating leaders on active living, the workshop fostered new momentum and energy for creating a broad and multidisciplinary coalition of leaders to promote active living initiatives in Kentucky.

  • Active Living Conference Presentation [PDF]
    David T. Allen, M.D., M.P.H., Founder, Fit Louisville

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Reports

  • Active Living for a Lifetime: County and City Healthy Communities Profiles [PDF]
    National Association of Counties (NACo) & U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM)
    June 2005
    This report offers seven profiles of cities and counties that have taken steps to increase active living in their communities. Profiles explore partnerships, implementation strategies, outcomes and lessons learned, as well as practical strategies for how mayors, county officials and others may replicate these promising practices.

  • County Government Approaches to Combating Youth Obesity [PDF]
    National Association of Counties (NACo)
    May 2005
    This article summarizes a survey of county officials regarding their perceptions of childhood obesity and the steps they have taken, or intend to take, to fight it. Survey topics include what partnerships county officials have found most helpful, programs they have attempted and barriers to creating effective programs.

  • Healthy Community Design: Success Stories from State and Local Leaders [PDF]
    Leadership for Healthy Communities National Office
    December 2004
    This report profiles the notable efforts of elected and appointed government leaders who are supporting healthy community design across the country. These local, state and regional success stories demonstrate how collaboration, creativity and leadership can encourage physical activity and promote healthy, active communities.

  • Active Living and Social Equity: Creating Healthy Communities for All Residents [PDF]
    International City/County Management Association (ICMA) & National Association of Counties (NACo)
    November 2004
    This report outlines the results of a joint ICMA and NACo survey of local governments to better understand how officials view their role in enabling active living. The survey probed leaders' understanding about the relationship between the built environment and health, awareness about active living and barriers to creating more activity friendly communities.

  • Managing Active Living Communities [PDF]
    International City/County Management Association (ICMA) & National Association of Counties (NACo)
    October 2004
    Local governments often address obesity through physical fitness campaigns, without acknowledging the important role urban planning plays in fostering an active lifestyle. This report outlines a step-by-step framework for local government leaders to follow in creating activity-friendly communities, within the context of common political and government structures.

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Tools

  • Leadership Action Strategies [PDF]
    Leadership for Healthy Communities National Office
    January 2003
    This guide features 25 strategies and nearly 100 tactics that local and state governments can use to support active living. A range of step-by-step approaches to improve community health and vitality is organized under eight broad strategies, and includes interactive examples of long-and short-term, expensive and inexpensive, and broad based or targeted efforts supporting healthy community and school environments.

 

  • "Combating Childhood Obesity" Action Kit [PDF]
    National League of Cities
    This tool kit is based on the latest research and best practices from across the nation and offers a wide-ranging menu of opportunities for municipal leadership to make the prevention of childhood obesity a community-wide priority.

The following links provide examples of specific action strategies on how to:

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Helpful Links

  • www.activeforlife.info
    Active for Life
    Active for Life has been established to learn how to deliver research-based physical activity programs to large numbers of mid-life and older adults, and to sustain such programs through existing community institutions.

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