Children and Weight: Focus on Body Image

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Children and Weight What Communities Can Do
The Spectrum of Prevention A Tool for
Developing Strategies
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Levels of the Spectrum of Prevention
Children and Weight What Communities Can Do
Influence policy and legislation
Change organizational practices
Foster coalitions and networks
Educate providers
Promote community education

• Strengthen
• individual knowledge and skills

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Sample specific goal
Children and Weight What Communities Can Do

• To decrease soft drink consumption during the
• school day and at
• school-sponsored events

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Children and Weight What Communities Can Do
Spectrum Level 1 Strengthen individual
knowledge and skills (to decrease soft drink
consumption)

• Strategies
• Teach students about health consequences
  associated
• with soft drink consumption such as cavities,
• weak bones, and overweight.
• Teach students media literacy to understand how
  advertising influences behavior.

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Children and Weight What Communities Can Do
Spectrum Level 2 Promote community education
(to decrease soft drink consumption)

• Strategy
• Publish articles on healthy beverage choices in
  school newspapers, PTA newsletters, local
  newspapers and
• other community publications.

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Spectrum Level 3Educate providers (to
decrease soft drink consumption)
Children and Weight What Communities Can Do

• Strategies
• Offer water, milk and fruit juice (instead of
  soft drinks) at meetings, parties, and other
  school-sponsored events.
• Encourage adults to be role models by drinking
  water, milk and fruit juice (instead of soft
  drinks) and encouraging children and teens to do
  the same.

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Children and Weight What Communities Can Do
Spectrum Level 4 Fostering coalitions and
networks (to decrease soft drink consumption)

• Strategy
• Convene coalition on children and weight.

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Children and Weight What Communities Can Do
Spectrum Level 5 Change organizational
practices (to decrease soft drink consumption)

• Strategies
• Limit access to vending machines by only turning
  them on after school hours.
• Add healthy alternatives such as milk, bottled
  water and juice to vending machines.

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Children and Weight What Communities Can Do
Spectrum Level 6 Influence policy and
legislation (to decrease soft drink consumption)

• Strategies
• Encourage school districts to reject soft drink
  contracts.
• Advocate for statewide policy to ban soft drink
  contracts in schools.

NO SOFT DRINK CONTRACTS
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Where do you start?
Children and Weight What Communities Can Do
?
With your priorities... based on what you think
is important and the resources you have