Building Public Policy

Healthy choices are influenced by more than the individual. A key component in building healthy communities is public health policy. The Community Health Partnership: Oregon’s Public Health Institute (CHP:OPHI), a small but strong advocacy organization, has taken this knowledge and put it into action.

CHP:OPHI's mission is to improve the health of Oregonians through advocacy and support of effective public health policy and activities.

Beginning in 2003, CHP:OPHI introduced strategic focus projects which identify and address population-based issues of current public health significance. CHP:OPHI doesn't avoid difficult issues. As its first strategic focus, the prevention of youth obesity was identified. To effectively address this epidemic, CHP:OPHI’s goals are to increase public awareness of the serious health consequences of being overweight and to assist communities in the development of effective nutrition and physical activity policies and activities.

CHP:OHPI has been a part of multiple legislative actions resulting in invaluable public health successes, including: setting school nutritional standards, chain restaurant menu labeling, workplace support for nursing mothers, statewide PE standards for grades K-12, and establishing an Obesity Task Force.

Recent Successes

CHP:OPHI played a major role in getting the Healthy Foods for Healthy Students (House Bill 2650) passed by the Oregon State Legislature in 2007. This bill got the worst junk foods out of schools by specifying nutrition standards for all foods and beverages sold in vending machines, student stores, and the à la carte line in school cafeterias. Oregon’s school environment now reinforces classroom nutrition education by modeling and supporting healthy behaviors in available food choices. Oregon was one of the first states to remove soda and high-fat, high-sugar snacks from schools.

CHP:OPHI’s involvement in policy advocacy does not end when a bill is signed into law; they are committed to ensuring implementation. CHP:OPHI has dedicated a section of their Web site to providing information about the law, and has developed several tools for assisting schools to implement the law.  Tools include: various facts sheets explaining the bill and how to best implement the bill, a link to the full bill, frequently asked questions, and the Healthy Snack Calculator.

For more information, visit CHP:OPHI's Web site. 

In 2009, Oregon also became the first state in the nation to pass state-wide menu labeling requirements. House Bill 2726 requires chain restaurants with 15 or more outlets nationwide to post calories on menus and menu boards.  

Future Action

A new CHP:OPHI project is:
Right from the Start: Assessing Child Care Settings in Multnomah County for Obesity Prevention

Childhood obesity is a pervasive community problem, and requires engagement of the whole community in order to address it effectively. Many children spend a great deal of time in various child care settings in Oregon, and child care is a untapped resource for encouraging healthy habits in children. However, it is unclear whether child care providers have the resources they need to encourage good nutrition, physical activity, breastfeeding, and minimal television time in the children they serve.

CHP:OPHI, along with key partners, will conduct a survey-based assessment of nutrition, active play, breastfeeding support, and television time practices in a sample of child care settings in Multnomah County over the course of two years. CHP:OPHI partners include the Healthy Kids Watch Less TV Coalition; the Child Care Resource and Referral Network of Multnomah County; the Neighborhood House Child Care Improvement Project; Oregon Department of Human Services, Public Health Division; the Breastfeeding Coalition of Oregon; and the Nutrition Council of Oregon.

Right from the Start begins by convening an advisory committee of child care and public health experts to develop the assessment methods and tools. CHP:OPHI is working to develop relationships between public health advocates and child care providers and their representative organizations to ensure that the project is based on shared values and collaboration.

CHP:OPHI is also working with research experts at Oregon State University to construct relevant data collection and analysis methods, and to determine appropriate sampling of the wide variety of child care settings in Multnomah County.

Once the assessment is completed, CHP:OPHI will work with partners and child care experts to interpret the findings into meaningful recommendations for training and support of child care providers as well as policy. If future funding becomes available, the findings from this project will be used as the basis for a state-wide assessment of child care settings. A statewide assessment would offer valuable information to stakeholders regarding the health of Oregon’s children.

Timeline: September 1, 2009 – August 31, 2011
Funder: Northwest Health Foundation

These highlights are just a glimpse into the work underway to make Oregonians healthier. To learn more, please visit the Community Health Partnership: Oregon’s Public Health Institute Web site.