Thursday, April 18, 2024
4/18/2024
California (CA) is home to over 39 million people and encompasses a broad diversity of cultures, ethnicities, and ages. The burden of inactivity, obesity, and chronic disease is substantial and disproportionately affects under-resourced populations and communities of color. To fulfill the deliverables of this grant, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) State Physical Activity and Nutrition (Cal SPAN) team will build on previous experience and successes. CDPH will leverage the expertise of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program-Education local-service infrastructure to inform and support activities in low-resource communities within 60 CA health jurisdictions. CDPH will also provide targeted, interventions in five counties (Orange, Fresno, Contra Costa, Glenn, and Sacramento) to test scalability and effectiveness. CDPH will activate a statewide network of partners, both CDC and non-CDC funded, to increase the reach and impact of services. CDPH will apply evidence-based strategies to increase the number of settings and sites that: implement early care and education (ECE) nutrition and physical activity (PA) standards, implement supportive breastfeeding (BF) interventions, implement food service guidelines, and implement community planning and transportation interventions to support safe and accessible PA. The Cal SPAN team will work with state and local partners to integrate nutrition and PA standards into statewide ECE and professional development systems including the California Child Care Resource & Referral Network and the Child Care Food Program Roundtable. CDPH will partner with CA Childcare Licensing to strengthen PA and nutrition-related requirements for licensing and work to incorporate PA and nutrition criteria into quality rating improvement systems (QRIS). CDPH will collaborate with state and local partners to increase the number of sites engaging in supportive BF interventions. Settings include ECEs, state and local government agencies, worksites employing low-wage workers, and federally qualified health centers. Activities will address racial disparities in BF rates by improving workplace compliance with the lactation accommodation laws and incorporating BF supports into continuity of care practices. CDPH will also increase the number of settings and sites, including worksites and small retailers that implement food service guidelines. CDPH will work with local government agencies statewide to identify best practices in healthy meeting guidelines and to support the adoption and strengthening of existing policies in targeted counties. In this way, CDPH will shift food-purchasing behaviors towards healthier foods. To increase the availability of healthy foods in rural communities, CDPH will continue to employ successful strategies such as healthy retail recognition programs and checkout aisles conversions using food service standards with local grocers. Improved public transportation, protected bike lanes, smooth walking paths with benches, and signage can increase active transportation opportunities for all ages and abilities. The Cal SPAN team will engage with state and local partners to promote active transportation and community design, master planning and land use strategies, and increased community PA through training and technical assistance to local health jurisdictions. This work will support the development of successful applications for the CA Department of Transportation’s Active Transportation Program and assist local health jurisdictions within selected geographic regions to engage communities in Safe Routes to School. Finally, CDPH will facilitate opportunities to engage communities, convene partners, communicate successes, participate in peer sharing, and leverage resources. CDPH will share results of formative work and evaluations to build the evidence base for efforts in nutrition, PA, and BF supports.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).
