November 11, 2019
JOB OPPORTUNITY
CampWell Program Facilitator

The Consortium to Lower Obesity in Chicago Children ( CLOCC), in partnership with the Chicago Park District, is excited to announce the availability of a new CampWell Program Facilitator position within the Park District's Wellness Unit. This position will assist with the creation, delivery, and evaluation of the CampWell program, an initiative of Chicago Activating Neighborhood Environments for Health and Wellness (Chicago ANEHW), funded by Kohl's Cares ®. 

Chicago ANEHW focuses on engaging youth, families and communities in physical activity, nutrition, and overall healthy lifestyle education and promotion.  This is a citywide position, focusing on three Chicago neighborhoods.

The application process is open through November 20th. Click the link below for more information. 

JOB POSTINGS 
5-4-3-2-1 Go! Resources
fiveSMART Resources
CHILDHOOD OBESITY PREVENTION NEWS
New Report From CSPI: Changing the Channels
How Big Media Helps Big Food Target Kids 

Food and beverage companies spend nearly $2 billion a year marketing to children. Previous studies have found that the majority of foods and beverages advertised during children's television programming are of poor nutritional quality-i.e., high in calories, saturated fat, sodium, or added sugars or low in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.

Changing the Channels, a new report published by the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) assesses the nutritional quality of food and beverage advertisements during children's television and whether they have improved since the Children's Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative (CFBAI) implemented its 2013 Uniform Nutrition Criteria.

ADVOCACY ALERT
Opportunity to Comment on SNAP Restrictions Open Through December 2nd

The Trump administration continues to pursue restrictive changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) that, if  enacted, will negatively impact the health and wellness of hundreds of thousands of food-insecure children in the United States.    

SNAP is a hunger and nutrition safety net for 42 million Americans, including 13 million children, living in food-insecure households. The program ensures children have access to basic nutrition, such as fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy, and an opportunity to lead a healthy life.

A proposed  rule change affecting SNAP, the third of 2019, was announced on Thursday, October 9th. The SNAP Standardization of State Heating and Cooling Allowances  would change the way recipients' income, as well as housing and utility expenses, are used to calculate benefits. As a result, nearly $4.5B would be removed from SNAP funding, 8,000 households would lose SNAP benefits entirely, and 19 percent of recipients would see a decrease in monthly benefits. "This move exacerbate the struggles many low-income people have paying for costs of both food and utilities, and have harmful impacts on health and well-being as well as on the economy," stated the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC). The comment period for the rule change will be open through December 2nd. 

Healthy Schools Campaign Seeks Testimonials

Today, one in four children have health issues that affect their ability to succeed in the classroom - double the number just 30 years ago. This has implications not only for children's long-term health, but also for their opportunities to learn and succeed at school.

The Healthy Schools Campaign is seeking those who advocate for expanded school health services and ensure all students have access to quality physical, behavioral and mental health services each day in school, allowing them to be present, focused and ready to learn.

If that's you, please consider providing a testimonial on why strong school health policies matter to you and how quality school health services can positively impact student health and academic performance.  HSC will compile these testimonials and share them with public officials, lawmakers, school leadership and communities throughout Illinois. You can make a difference and help all students in Illinois gain access to comprehensive school health services!  Please submit testimonials by Friday, Nov. 22, 2019.

ADDITIONAL UPCOMING EVENTS 
The World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims is Monday, November 18th
Chicago to Mark Occasion at Thompson Center

Join V ision Zero Chicago on November 18, 2019, to commemorate  World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims (WDR) with a memorial event at the James R. Thompson Center. WDR is an annual event observed internationally to remember the many millions killed and injured on the world's roads, together with their families and loved ones. Chicago's event in the Thompson Center will present a memorial display of shoes representing the individuals killed in traffic crashes in Chicago over the past year.
We invite members of the public to participate the following ways:
  • Visit the memorial between 8:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.
  • Attend a press event at Noon, with agency officials and partner organizations speaking in memory of victims and in support of action to reach the City's Vision Zero goals.
This event is made possible by support from AARP Illinois.  Other event partners include  Chicago Department of Transportation, Chicago Department of Public Health, Illinois Department of Transportation, Active Transportation Alliance, Metropolitan Planning Council, and Ride of Silence.

When: Monday, November 18th, Noon 
Where: James R. Thompson Center,  100 W. Randolph Street
FOCUS UPSTREAM
Updates on social, structural and other root causes of obesity
CLOCC continues to expand our focus "upstream" to identify the fundamental root causes of obesity, and to broaden the scope of our obesity prevention strategies. This work coincides with heightened local and national attention to health equity and social determinants of health, such as immigration, education, poverty and racism, all of which have an impact on people's ability to eat healthy and be active where they live, work, learn, and play. If you have comments or questions about this focus, we invite you to reach out to info@clocc.net. 
New CDC Report Highlights Prevalence of ACEs in Negative Long-Term Health Outcomes

Children who experience or witness multiple types of trauma, defined as adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), have higher risk for negative health outcomes as adults, according to a new report from the the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Nearly 16% of adults in the study population reported four or more types of adverse childhood experiences, which were significantly associated with poorer health outcomes, health risk behaviors, and socioeconomic challenges. The report also detailed that women, black adults and other racial and ethnic minorities had a greater chance of exposure to four or more ACEs than men and white adults. Additionally, younger adults had a higher exposure to different ACEs than older adults did .
ACEs are categorized as one of 8 types: emotional abuse, sexual abuse, household mental illness, household substance use, household domestic violence, incarcerated household member, and parental separation or divorce. ACEs have been associated with the development of multiple physical health and mental health problems in adulthood, including an association with obesity. Additional problems can include depression, suicide, cancer, heart disease, respiratory illnesses, diabetes, as well as propensity for risky behaviors and unemployment.

The CDC report highlighted the role of primary caregivers in identifying and addressing ACEs, including the publication of an ACEs toolkit. "Using the best available evidence to create safe, stable, nurturing relationships and environments can prevent adverse childhood experiences and could potentially prevent adult chronic conditions, depression, health risk behaviors, and negative socioeconomic outcomes."

CHILDHOOD OBESITY IN THE NEWS
FUNDING & RECOGNITION OPPORTUNITIES 
  • The Lead in Water Resource Program helps home-based child care providers in the Chicago metropolitan area with lead in water testing costs and short-term mitigation strategies.  Applications to the program must be submitted by November 30th. To apply, please complete this online application form and click submit at the bottom of the page.  If you have any questions please contact Elevate Energy at 312.300.7074.
     
  • The Community Innovation Grants Program has been designed to allow the United Fresh Start Foundation to collaborate with like-minded stakeholders to increase children's access, selection, and consumption of fresh produce while they are outside of school. The 2020 program is focused on supporting visionary initiatives and research that not only increases children and families' access to fresh produce, but also broadens selection and consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables, whether at home, on weekends, during the summer, while out to eat, or any other time outside the traditional school day. Learn more, or apply by December 1, 2019.
     
  • Each year, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois (BCBSIL) supports communities across our state through its grants and sponsorships. Community Investments at BCBSIL are divided into two areas: grants and sponsorship. In Illinois, grants are awarded to direct service health and human service organizations with 501(c)(3) status. Funding is distributed through two separate funding streams: Healthy Kids, Healthy Families Grants and Community Partners Grants. Grants are for 1 year only. Organizations may apply through either funding stream (but not both). Funding is competitive, so organizations should assess alignment with each streams' funding priorities. The LOI window will open on January 21. 
     
  • The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health (OMH) and the Office on Women's Health (OWH) jointly announce the YES Initiative in collaboration with the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (ODPHP) and in consultation with the Office of Adolescent Health (OAH) and the Office of the President's Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition (PCSFN). The YES Initiative seeks to identify characteristics of effective collaborations that improve physical activity and nutrition via increased sports participation. YES Initiative applicants should propose to address unhealthy physical activity and nutrition behaviors among racial/ethnic minority and socio-economically disadvantaged youth (including, specifically girls), and provide opportunities to learn skills and gain experiences that contribute to more positive lifestyles and enhance their capacity to make healthier life choices.  Applicants should have capacity to develop and implement sports fitness programs based on successful evidenced-based strategies for youth engagement.  The application due date is May 31, 2019.
T he Consortium to Lower Obesity in Chicago Children (CLOCC) is a nationally recognized leader for community-based obesity prevention. We support, coordinate, and unite partners to promote healthy and active lifestyles for children and families. Our multi-sector approach emerged in Chicago and can be adapted for use anywhere.