Public Health Policy

More than two-thirds (2/3) of Maine adults and one-third (1/3) of our children are too heavy for optimal health. MMA and its Public Health Committee work to provide information for physicians and their patients on lifestyle and clinical approaches to weight loss.

Stephanie Lash, MD, 2008-09 MMA President Healthy Weight Initiative focuses on promoting healthy weight in your community. The objective of Dr. Lash’s initiative is to emphasize the physician role and encourage physicians to become more active at the local community level to support current and emerging healthy weight initiative, especially in the educational system. Secondly, to ensure that the MMA serves in a statewide advocacy role to support Healthy Weight Initiatives by leading organizations.

Click here to download and view a copy of Dr. Stephanie Lash’s Healthy Weight Initiative Key Messages to MMA Members.

Click here to download a copy of, “10 Easy Things” MMA members can do in their Communities to Promote and Encourage Healthy Weight.

Click here to download a copy of MMA’s Healthy Weight Resolution, adopted 9/2008.

Tools for the Physician’s office

Let’s Go! Eat Right. Be Active. Get Healthy is a childhood obesity resource toolkit for Healthcare Professionals. This is a community-based initiative to promote healthy lifestyle choices for children, youth and families. An essential part of their mission is working with health professionals for the prevention and treatment of childhood obesity, and one of the most important resources is this kit. Click here for information on how to receive your FREE Toolkit complete with patient, office and provider tools. Visit their website at www.letsgo.org to access these materials for free.

Pediatric Obesity Clinical Decision Support Chart NOW Available!! The MYOC chart provides clinicians with practical, point-of-care guidance on childhood obesity. The chart also contains the latest information from “Expert Committee Recommendations on the Prevention, Assessment, and Treatment of Child and Adolescent Overweight and Obesity.” To download a FREE PDF version of the Maine Flipchart, go to www.mcph.org/major_activities/keepmehealthy.htm. You can also order a copy of the Maine version of the flipchart (shown above) from the Maine Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics at www.maineaap.org/project_youthoverweight.htm. Or contact Aubrie Entwood at 207-782-0856 or agridleyentwood@aap.net.

Keep Me Healthy is the title of a toolkit developed by the Maine Youth Overweight Collaborative (MYOC), established in partnership with the Maine Harvard Prevention Research Center, the Maine Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the Maine Center for Public Health (MCPH) to improve outcomes for overweight and obese youth. The MCPH brought together clinical experts, primary care practices, and community partners to develop local expertise and shared goals among clinical practice teams in order to improve management of and decrease youth overweight within the state. By providing the tools and resources posted on their website, the Maine Center for Public Health seeks to provide practical support and guidance to health care practices, organizations and individuals across the state to help improve care and outcomes for overweight and obese youth. For more information go to www.mcph.org/major_activities/keepmehealthy.htm.

Additional Obesity Resources

Exercise is Medicine – www.exerciseismedicine.org - Several tools for physicians to share with their patients.

MeCDC PANP Program – www.maine.gov/dhhs/boh/hmp/panp/ - Physical activity and proper nutrition are key components in the prevention and treatment of chronic diseases, such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease, and their risk factors, including high blood pressure, overweight and obesity. The Maine Physical Activity and Nutrition Program (PANP) coordinates state-wide efforts to support Maine people in achieving recommended levels of physical activity and proper nutrition to prevent and treat chronic diseases, including overweight and obesity. The Maine Physical Activity and Nutrition Plan 2005-2010 is a guiding document for the PAN Program, health professionals, business leaders, the food industry, policymakers, educators, the media, and citizens to improve the health and well-being of Maine people. The plan outlines key objectives and strategies for youth and adults with eight focus areas:

• Physical Activity
• Consumption of Fruits and Vegetables
• Caloric Imbalance and Expenditure
• Television Time
• Breastfeeding
• Food Safety
• Food Security
• Eating Disorders

Healthy Maine Partnerships – www.healthymainepartnerships.org - (click on the obesity and school health informational blocks) Where communities, schools, hospitals, businesses, and volunteers are working together at the state and local level to make Maine a healthier place to live and work. At the state level the Healthy Maine Partnerships (HMP’s) are programs and organizations dedicated to promoting health all over Maine. These statewide partners support the 27 local HMPs with training, technical assistance; evaluation, program development and media help in order to reach the communities at the local level.

Health Policy Partners – www.mcd.org/hpp (click on obesity prevention) Health Policy Partners of Maine was created in 2007, as an umbrella coalition consisting of the Maine Coalition on Smoking or Health,, the friends for the Fund for a Health Maine, and a group of professionals working on obesity prevention policy. Their mission is to advocate for public policies that promote healthy lifestyles and reduce and prevent chronic disease in Maine.

The Childhood Obesity Action Network (COAN) - www.nichq.org - The Childhood Obesity Action Network (COAN) is a web-based national network aimed at rapidly sharing knowledge, successful practices and innovation across providers. To gain access to the Implementation Guide’s tools, resources and the report, Childhood Obesity: The Role of Health Policy, which provides recommendations on actions that various stakeholders in health care can take to mount an effective health care response to the epidemic of childhood obesity, just click on the link.

MMA’s 2008 Public Health Forum Educational Packet on Childhood Obesity – Few public health challenges are more important today than stopping the epidemic of overweight and obesity. Obesity is second only to smoking as a preventable cause of death in the United States. The panelists provided information and tools to address this multifactorial issue to assist physicians in playing an active role in addressing this problem, including the Obesity and Related Co-Morbidities Coding Fact Sheet for Primary Care Pediatricians. (click here for PDF)

New England State Medical Society Physician Practices Survey Healthy Weight Trends Indicator Report. Conducted by: New England Coalition for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention (NECON) and the Harvard School of Public Health. Results indicate that physicians want more clinical tools to assist them with their overweight patients. (click here for PDF)