The latest scientific research confirms that the environments in which people live, learn, work and play affect their health and the health of their communities. For example, evidence suggests that when children have access to safe parks, they are more active. When local stores sell fresh and affordable foods, families eat better.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Center to Prevent Childhood Obesity envisions a nation in which all children—regardless of race, ethnicity, family income level or geography—live in communities and attend schools that encourage and support healthy eating and physical activity. If we can successfully realize this vision, we will reverse the childhood obesity epidemic by 2015.

Sometimes, it takes new public policies to significantly improve community environments. Parks and retail grocery stores are part of the solution, but alone, they are not enough. We must also explore how transportation policies, education systems, the food and beverage industry, and other sectors of our economy affect the foods we eat and how much activity we get.

That’s where the center can help.

Working with researchers, advocates and other partners at the local, state and national level, the center identifies the most promising policy- and environmental-change strategies for preventing childhood obesity. We place special emphasis on reaching children of color and children living in low-income communities who are most affected by the epidemic and its health consequences.

We also recognize that simply identifying the best policies won’t be enough. That’s why the center will advocate strongly for the implementation of the most promising strategies and help policy-makers and communities avoid spending time and resources on ineffective approaches. We also will help build the national movement for obesity prevention by sharing lessons learned, building leadership capacity and closely coordinating with the many outstanding organizations already working in the field.

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