1. Using Evidence to Combat Childhood Obesity:
Health Commissioners’ Perspective
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Healthy Eating Research 7th Annual Grantee Meeting
March 14, 2013
Bechara Choucair, MD
Commissioner
Chicago Department of Public Health
@choucair on

2. Presenter Disclosures
Bechara Choucair, M.D.
(1) The following personal financial relationships with
commercial interests relevant to this presentation
existed during the past 12 months:
“No relationships to disclose.”

3. PRESENTATION OUTLINE
1. Snapshot of Chicago’s Childhood Obesity Epidemic Data
2. Chicago’s Political Landscape
“Never let a serious crisis go to waste.”
Rahm Emanuel
Mayor, City of Chicago
3. Discussion About Three of Chicago’s Childhood Obesity
Prevention Initiatives

4. ADJUSTED ESTIMATES OF OBESITY PREVALENCE
AMONG CHICAGO PUBLIC SCHOOL STUDENTS IN
KINDERGARTEN
National estimate 2008 2003
For 2-5 year olds CLOCC estimates
(CPS & Archdiocese)
Orange bars denote 95% confidence limits (i.e., the margin of error associated with each estimate).

5. RESULTS OF 2002 NEIGHBORHOOD SURVEY
Source: Margellos-Anast et al., Public Health Reports 2008.
Online via http://www.suhichicago.org/files/publications/PHR_child_obesity.pdf

6. 2010-11 SCHOOL DATA ASSESSMENT
Report available at: http://bit.ly/15tkiUr
• Assessed records of 88,527
Chicago Public School
students in the three grades
– 44% Hispanic
– 42% non-Hispanic black
– 9% non-Hispanic white
– 3% non-Hispanic Asian

7. 2010-11 SCHOOL DATA ASSESSMENT
Report available at: http://bit.ly/15tkiUr
• 59,794 students (67.5%) had
recent, valid, and complete
data sufficient for BMI
percentile calculation
• Obesity prevalence was 25%

8. ADJUSTED ESTIMATES OF OBESITY PREVALENCE AMONG
CHICAGO PUBLIC SCHOOL STUDENTS (KINDERGARTEN, 6, 9)
Five highest estimates (%)
South Lawndale (30) 32.9
Hermosa (20) 31.3
East Side (52) 30.9
Lower West Side (31) 30.5
West Lawn (65) 30.2
Five lowest estimates (%)
Lincoln Park (7) 12.7
Mount Greenwood (74) 12.9
Loop (32) 13.5
Armour Square (34) 14.1
Lake View (6) 14.2
Adjusted for non-response and standardized to District-wide grade-level enrollment

9. HEALTHY CHICAGO
POLITICAL LANDSCAPE:
Chicago Department of Public Health
HEALTHY CHICAGO AGENDA
Infrastructure

10. POLITICAL LANDSCAPE:
CORPORATE AND COMMUNITY PARTNERS

11. THREE OF CHICAGO’S APPROACHES TO
CHILDHOOD OBESITY PREVENTION INITIATIVES
SCHOOL-BASED
INTERVENTIONS
MULTI-SECTOR
INTERGOVERNMENTAL &
COLLABORATION COMMUNITY
DEVELOPMENT
EFFORTS

12. SCHOOL-BASED INTERVENTIONS
SCHOOL-BASED
INTERVENTIONS
MULTI-SECTOR
INTERGOVERNMENTAL &
COLLABORATION COMMUNITY
DEVELOPMENT
EFFORTS

13. SCHOOL-BASED INTERVENTIONS
 CPS hires chief health officer
 Dually reports to CDPH
 CDPH creates Adolescent and
School Health Office

14. SCHOOL-BASED INTERVENTIONS
Revised Wellness Policy
Competitive Foods Policy
Enhanced PE for all
students
 $26M New Grants
• CTG – Healthy CPS
• Teen Dating Matters
• Teen Pregnancy
• Farm to School
• Wellness Champions

15. Healthier US School Challenge Certification as of December 2012 with Prevalence of
Overweight or Obesity among Chicago Public School Students in Grades Kindergarten, 6, and
9
Overweight or obesity
Prevalence estimate (%)
70 schools certified
75 pending certification

16. Report available at: http://bit.ly/YDOFEq

17. INTERGOVERNMENTAL APPROACH
SCHOOL-BASED
INTERVENTIONS
MULTI-SECTOR
&
INTER-GOV’T COMMUNITY
COLLABORATION DEVELOPMENT
EFFORTS

18. INTERGOVERNMENTAL APPROACH
 Inter-Departmental Task Force
 Produce Cart Initiative
 Play Streets, Bike Lanes

19. INTERGOVERNMENTAL APPROACH

20. MULTI-SECTOR & COMMUNITY
DEVELOPMENT APPROACHES
SCHOOL-BASED
INTERVENTIONS
MULTI-SECTOR
&
INTERGOVERNMENTAL
COLLABORATION COMMUNITY
DEVELOPMENT
EFFORTS

21. MULTI-SECTOR & COMMUNITY
DEVELOPMENT APPROACHES
Report available at: http://bit.ly/X5nH90
 Citywide Food Plan
 LISC Partnership

22. MULTI-SECTOR & COMMUNITY
DEVELOPMENT APPROACHES
• Baby Friendly Expansion
• Improvements to Chicago’s
Day Care Center Standards

23. facebook.com/ChicagoPublicHe
alth
Gplus.to/ChiPublicHeal
th
@ChiPublicHealt
h
312.747.988
4
CityofChicago.org/Hea
lth
HealthyChicago@CityofChicago
.org