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Obesity Prevention Summit: Policy Solutions for a Healthier Washington. Hugh Ewart Seattle Children’s Hospital November 15, 2011. Overview. Seattle Children’s Institutional Snapshot Cafeteria and Vending Philosophy and Changes Beverages SSB Consumption: Role of Individual
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Obesity Prevention Summit: Policy Solutions for a Healthier Washington Hugh Ewart Seattle Children’s Hospital November 15, 2011
Overview • Seattle Children’s Institutional Snapshot • Cafeteria and Vending Philosophy and Changes • Beverages • SSB Consumption: Role of Individual • Impact possible • Sustainable only in concert with other supports • SSB Policy Change by Government: Politics • Power of the T word in a recession • Powerful interest groups
Seattle Children’s Institutional Snapshot • 250 bed pediatric referral center • Serving largest landmass of any free-standing children’s hospital in US (Washington, Alaska, Montana and Idaho) • Over 2/3 of patients have multiple chronic conditions • 1/3 of patients are overweight or obese. 40% in our Odessa Brown Children’s Clinic • Breadth of obesity research
Seattle Children’s Institutional Snapshot • Increased healthy food and beverage options in cafeteria and food vending machines • Soda not on patient menus • Soda Free Sundays • New vendor will allow significant increase in healthy vending machine beverage options in coming months
SSB Consumption: Role of Individual • Beverage consumption a modifiable behavior change • Changing food consumption behavior much more complicated • Food=indisputable human need • Soda=unnecessary for human survival • External supports imperative to sustain behavior change
SSB Policy Change by Government: Politics • Taxes hard during economic downturns • Philadelphia SSB tax • $10M obesity research grant offered by soda industry • Tax effort halted • Modest Washington State soda tax • American Beverage Association spends $17M to overturn legislative-approved ‘grocery tax’