Mini Plenaries

 

RESEARCH TRACK

 

How Sweet It Is: Addiction, Reward, and Childhood Obesity

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Childhood obesity continues to increase in prevalence and severity. Despite attempts at lifestyle intervention to mitigate hunger, excessive intake of high-calorie foods persists, especially those that contain sugar. Fructose has been shown to have effects on hepatic and central nervous system metabolism distinct from glucose. This mini plenary will examine the central mediation of this sugar ingestion and its role in excessive food intake and metabolic syndrome. Understanding these mechanisms may lead to improved societal and public health measures to curb this epidemic.

Peter Havel, Associate Researcher, Department of Nutrition, University of California, Davis

Robert Lustig, Professor of Pediatrics, Division of Endocrinology, University of California, San Francisco

Pedro Vicente Rada, Laboratory of Behavioral Physiology, Department of Physiology, University of Los Andes

Moderator: Richard Jackson, Professor and Chair, Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of California, Los Angeles

 

Beyond Food and Activity: Sleep, Stress, Pollutants, Viruses and Their Influence on Childhood Obesity

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Over the past couple of years, provocative research has been conducted examining links between pollutants, stress, sleep, certain viruses and the increase in childhood obesity. This session will review the latest research and discuss implications for childhood obesity prevention.

Richard Atkinson, Physician, Obetech, Obesity Research Center, Virginia Commonwealth University

Kevin Laugero, Nutritionist, USDA Western Human Nutrition Research Center, Department of Nutrition, University of California, Davis

Michael Jerrett, Associate Professor, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley

Elsie Taveras, Assistant Professor, Harvard Medical School

Moderator: May Wang, Associate Professor in Residence, University of California, Los Angeles

 

Results from Healthy Eating Research and Active Living Research: Building Environmental and Policy Solutions to Prevent Childhood Obesity

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Healthy Eating Research (HER) and Active Living Research (ALR) are research programs supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF). HER supports research on environmental and policy strategies with strong potential to promote healthy eating among children to prevent childhood obesity, especially among low-income and racial and ethnic populations at highest risk for obesity. ALR supports research that examines how environments and policies impact physical activity and aims to identify promising approaches for preventing childhood obesity, especially among ethnic minorities and children living in low-income communities. This session will showcase innovative RWJF supported research from across the country.

Deborah Cohen, Senior Natural Scientist, RAND Corporation

Monica Lounsbery, Chair Department of Sports Education Leadership, University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Marlene B. Schwartz, Senior Research Scientist, Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity, Yale University

Robert Whitaker, Professor of Public Health and Medicine, Center for Obesity Research and Education, Temple University

 

HEALTHCARE TRACK

 

Preventing the Co-morbidities of Childhood Obesity

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This workshop will increase the audience's awareness of the major co-morbidities associated with pediatric obesity. Audience members will hear from national experts on how to address the prevention as well as treatment of type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and lipid disorders in children and teens who are overweight or obese. This mini-plenary will also address the role and implications of surgical interventions as they relate to pediatric obesity.

Francine Kaufman, Director, Comprehensive Childhood Diabetes Center Head, Center for Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles

Marc P. Michalsky, Surgical Director, Center for Healthy Weight and Nutrition, Nationwide Children's Hospital, and Department of Pediatric Surgery, School of Medicine, Ohio State University

Michele Mietus-Snyder, Preventive Cardiologist and Associate Professor, University of California, San Francisco

Alan Sinanako, Professor, Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota

Moderator: Seleda Williams, Public Health Officer, Office of Clinical Preventative Medicine, California Department of Healthcare Services

 

EARLY CHILDHOOD TRACK

 

Improving Nutrition and Physical Activity in Childcare Settings: Promising Policy Recommendations

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Growing numbers of young children, many of whom spend substantial time in childcare, enter kindergarten overweight. As lifelong dietary and physical activity habits are established in early childhood, these environments are critical for promoting healthful behaviors. In this session, participants will learn about common barriers, facilitators, and promising policy recommendations for providing healthy food and physical activity in childcare.

Kenneth Hecht, Executive Director, California Food Policy Advocates

Lorrene Ritchie, Director of Research, Dr. Robert C. & Veronica Atkins Center for Weight and Health, University of California, Berkeley

Shannon Whaley, Director of Research and Evaluation, Public Health Foundation Enterprises, Women, Infants and Children Program

 

Making Change Matter: Maximizing the Health Impact of the New WIC Foods

For the first time in its 35-year history, the federal Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Supplemental Nutrition Program is revising the foods it provides to nearly 10 million low-income women and children nationwide – including 60 percent of all infants born in California. Based on recommendations by the Institute of Medicine, the changes align WIC foods with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and are flexible enough to support diverse cultural foodways. With careful planning, strategic leveraging of new alliances and ongoing evaluative research, California WIC’s implementation of these sweeping changes should result in dramatic health improvements in communities most impacted by the obesity epidemic. Come to this plenary to explore the changes from a WIC family’s perspective; to find out how you or your organization can harness the changes to improve community access to healthier foods; and to understand some of the “hidden gems” in this huge systems change. The new rules result in major improvements to the way WIC supports breastfeeding and provides infant formula—but WIC will need community advocates to help organize locally to improve breastfeeding environments in hospitals, worksites and day care. These changes only come once in a generation—help WIC Make Change Matter!

Michelle van Eyken, Deputy Chief, Nutrition and Local Program Services, California WIC Program

Gayle Hoxter, Branch Chief, Riverside County Department of Public Health

Shannon Whaley, Director of Research and Evaluation, Public Health Foundation Enterprises, Women, Infants and Children Program

Mary Sammer, North County Health Services WIC

Hannah Burton-Laurison, Senior Associate, Economic Development, Planning for Healthy Places, Public Health Law and Policy

Moderator: Laurie True, Executive Director, California WIC Association

 

SCHOOLS AND AFTER SCHOOL TRACK

 

Successful Physical Activity Programs Supporting Schools, Kids and Communities

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Your school site is ready and waiting for energetic and effective physical education and physical activity programs. It is up to you to introduce programs the schools can afford, that teachers and students like and programs that actually work to increase physical activity, prevent childhood obesity and improve academic performance. This session will provide both the information and tools needed to persuade stakeholders on the importance of strong, effective and consistent physical activity and physical education in school and after school programs.

Matthew Diskin, Special Education and Physical Education Teacher, Gateway Unified School District

David Gallagher, National Program Director, Sports4Kids

Lisa Cirill, Acting Chief, California Center for Physical Activity, California Department of Public Health

Mariah Martin, Program Manager, California After School Resource Center

Moderator: Philip Nader, Emeritus Professor of Pediatrics, University of California, San Diego

 

COMMUNITY TRACK

 

Building the Movement: Leadership for Changing Food and Physical Activity Environments

Building a movement for social change requires strong leadership from local, state and national levels. This session will bring perspectives from all three of these levels and show how changing food and physical activity environments is linked to health equity and social justice. Ensuring the health of community residents requires that communities be structured in ways that help residents access healthy foods and easily incorporate physical activity into daily routines. Creating healthy communities requires coordinated and comprehensive efforts by multiple organizations, leaders, fields and sectors. This session highlights leaders at the local, state and national levels who are contributing to this movement.

The Honorable Steve Castaneda, Council Member, City of Chula Vista

Tanya Rovira-Osterwalder, HEAC Program Manager, Chula Vista Collaborative

Harold Goldstein, Executive Director, California Center for Public Health Advocacy

Jane Adams, Executive Director, California Park and Recreation Society

Daniel Zingale, Senior Vice President, The California Endowment

Moderator: Julie Williamson, Program Director, Partnership for the Public’s Health

 

MARKETING TRACK

 

The 2005 Institute of Medicine Food Marketing to Children Recommendations: What’s Happening Four Years Later?

This session will look at how industry self-regulation is working and the progress that has been made by industry to limit food and beverage marketing to youth. The session will include a discussion on the merits of voluntary versus mandatory food marketing restrictions, the role the government should or could play in future efforts, and how advocates can proceed without industry agreement.

Dale Kunkel, Professor, Department of Communication, University of Arizona

Jennifer Harris, Director of Marketing Initiatives, Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity, Yale University

Ameena Batada, Child Health Project Manager, Center for Science in the Public Interest

Moderator: Mary Story, Professor, Division of Epidemiology and Community Health, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota

 

OVERARCHING SESSIONS

 

Emerging Policy Issues

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Local, state and national level policymakers will highlight new policies being pursued in support of healthy eating and active environments. This session will provide insight into the intersection of health, social justice and economics, and the potential advances being sought to create healthier communities.

Ameena Batada, Child Health Program Manager, Center for Science in the Public’s Interest and the National Alliance for Nutrition and Activity

Judith Bell, President, Policy Link

Phyllis Bramson-Paul, Director, Nutrition Services Division, California Department of Education

Larry Cohen, Executive Director, Prevention Institute

Moderator: Marion Standish, Director, Healthy Environments, The California Endowment

 

Healthy Eating/Active Living Convergence Partnership: A National Funding Collaborative to Accelerate the Movement

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The Healthy Eating Active Living Convergence Partnership is a collaboration of funders that have come together with the shared goal of changing policies and environments to better achieve the vision of healthy people living in healthy places. This session describes the purpose and rationale for the national Convergence Partnership and the status of the work underway; reviews what the Convergence Partnership looks like from a community perspective and how it is translated in the California context; and describes the opportunities achieved and those not yet realized by this effort.

Judith Bell, President, Policy Link

Linda Jo Doctor, Program Director, W. K. Kellogg Foundation

Laura Kettle-Khan, Senior Scientist, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention & Health Promotion

Dwayne Proctor, Senior Program Officer, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

Rosa Soto, Regional Director, California Center for Public Health Advocacy

Marion Standish, Director, Healthy Environments, The California Endowment

Julie Williamson, Program Director, Partnership for the Public’s Health

Moderator: Loel Solomon, Director, Community Health Initiatives and Evaluation, Kaiser Permanente

 

A Conversation on Building the Evidence: Lessons Learned from Multi-Site Community Based Obesity Prevention Programs

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This session provides an overview and midpoint evaluation results from three community-based, multi-site initiatives in California: The California Endowment’s Healthy Eating Active Communities (HEAC), Central California Regional Obesity Prevention Program (CCROPP) and Kaiser Permanente’s Healthy Eating Active Living (HEAL) Program. Speakers will highlight the programs and evaluation design, midpoint findings, and lessons learned. Specific evaluation findings will be presented on the impact on youth health behaviors and individual level outcomes. The impact of the programs on food and physical activity environments and policy and engagement of community residents, youth and government and elected officials will also be shared. Presentations will explore differences and similarities across programs and address unique experiences in rural, inner-city urban, Hispanic and Central Valley communities. Speakers will address the overall contribution these efforts are making around obesity prevention, reducing health disparities in low income communities and building the evidence base for prevention strategies.

Sarah Samuels, President, Samuels and Associates

Patricia Crawford, Director, Dr. Robert C. and Veronica Atkins Center for Weight and Health, University of California, Berkeley

Pamela Schwartz, Director, Kaiser Permanente

Genoveva Islas-Hooker, Regional Program Coordinator, Central California Regional Obesity Prevention Program

Bill Beery, Director, Center for Community Health and Evaluation

Maria Casey, Program Director, Partnership for the Public’s Health, Public Health Institute

Moderator: George Flores, Senior Program Officer, The California Endowment