Nutrition and Physical Activity Coalition

UPCOMING MEETINGS

26 JANUARY - 2012

County Safe Routes to School Task Force

3:00 - 4:30 PM, THUR

Pi`ikoi Building

Conference Room A

07 FEBRUARY - 2012

Worksite Wellness Task Force

3:00 - 4:30 PM, TUE

Wilcox Hospital

Cafeteria

14 FEBRUARY - 2012

ATHF Task Force

12:30 -1:45 PM, TUE

Pi`ikoi Building

Conference Room A

14 FEBRUARY - 2012

Kapaa Safe Routes To School Task Force

2:30 - 4:00 PM, TUE

Kapaa Elementary School

Portable M-8

16 FEBRUARY - 2012

Built Environment Task Force

2:00 - 3:30 PM, THUR

Pi`ikoi Building

Conference Room A

13 MARCH - 2012

Steering Committee Meeting

2:00 - 3:30 PM, TUE

Pi`ikoi Building

Conference Room A

NPAC - Get Fit Kauai

Funded by the State of Hawaii Department of Health’s Healthy Hawai`i Initiative (HHI) through a contract with the University of Hawai`i at Manoa’s Office of Public Health Studies, John A. Burns School of Medicine, Get Fit Kauai, Kauai County Nutrition & Physical Activity Coalition (NPAC) first reconvened in March, 2009.

The NPACs throughout the state (coalitions are in place in every county) are charged with improving health in the areas of physical activity and nutrition through systems and environmental changes, based on the social-ecological model. Research has shown that it is through these types of changes that long-lasting health benefits are gained.

Get Fit Kauai has developed the following task forces to address the coalition’s priority areas.

Built environment (buildings, land use, public resources, zoning regulations and transportation systems
Schools and childcare facilities
Worksites
Nutrition and Food systems

Get Fit Kauai Worksite Wellness Task Force has completed a pilot worksite wellness program; the Mayor’s walking Workbus (collaboration between GFK, County of Kauai, American Cancer Society and the Department of Health) and is currently working on a worksite wellness project; “On the Road to Wellness Worksite Wellness Challenge” that promotes policy and environmental change in the worksite. Our School Task Force is presently working with Kapa`a Elementary School, KPD and the community to develop a Safe Routes to Schools program. Our Access to Healthy Food Task Force is concentrating on creating a project to promote policy change and access to healthy foods served in pre-schools. Our Built Environment Task Force is focusing on 2 projects; 1) introducing a Complete Streets County Resolution and Ordinance and 2) working on updating the Land Transportation Plan. In addition, members of our group have testified in support of the development of healthy communities (mixed use areas with safe access for bicyclists and pedestrians, including complete streets).

Objectives and strategies for all task forces are driven from the Department of Health PAN Plan. A copy of that plan can be found at www.healthyhawaii.com

We look forward to working with you in the future to improve the health of our community.

We are compiling a directory listing Kauai resources currently providing services in physical activity, nutrition or other community services. If appropriate, please fill out this survey.

NEWS - newsletter

2-FOR-1 PROMOTION AT FARMER'S MARKETS

Program Starts February 1st for EBT Shoppers

Starting February 1st, the Kaua‘i Independent Food Bank will launch a 2-for-1 promotion for the Eat Better Today (EBT) Farmer’s Market program, which will allow qualified recipients to buy twice as much food for each dollar spent using their EBT card.

Designing Healthy Communities

Television Miniseries To Air in Early 2012

A preview of Designing Healthy Communities, a four-part public television miniseries highlighting best-practice design alternatives to improve our nation's public health, is available at here. In the series, Richard Jackson, MD, MPH, looks at the impact the built environment has on obesity, diabetes, heart, asthma, cancer, and depression. Dr. Jackson connects bad community design with our country's burgeoning health costs, then analyzes and illustrates what citizens are doing about this urgent crisis. The miniseries will air in early 2012 on public television stations.

GET FIT KAUAI AND BUILT ENVIRONMENT TASK FORCE RECOGNIZED

Kauai's efforts highlighted in University of North Carolina report on Hawaii's Complete Streets Policy

The Hawaii Complete Streets policy report, December, 2011, was compiled by the University of North Carolina Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, Center for Training and Research Translation. The report recognizes the efforts of Get Fit Kauai and the Built Environment Task Force in implementing the Complete Streets policy for Kauai County, with support from the Healthy Hawaii Initiative, State Department of Health, through the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

2011 SURVEY RESULTS FOR GET FIT KAUAI

Survey results show high marks for GFK and impact to the community

The online survey to stakeholders was conducted in June, 2011, to evaluate the effectiveness of Get Fit Kauai and the coalition's activities. Thank you to those who participated in the survey and provided valuable feedback. Lehua Choy, MPH, evaluator with the University of Hawaii - Healthy Hawaii Initiative, compiled the information from the survey.