“We need to do a better job of making the scientific and business case for walking and bicycling to school.”
• Working to build relationships with legislators, and
• Getting interest groups involved. By gauging legislators’ attitudes about
obesity, nutrition, and physical activity; support for obesity-related policies; and support for potential legislative initia- tives, researchers identified the follow- ing policy recommendations with strong support among legislator respondents:
• Increase access to healthier food, spe- cifically fruits and vegetables.
• Improve nutrition and physical activ- ity in early childhood programs.
ception Survey project, which surveyed legislators during the 2013 legislative session. The Michael & Susan Dell Cen- ter for Healthy Living at The University of Texas School of Public Health and the Texas A&M University Health Science Center School of Rural Public Health col- laborated on the research, which is part of the Texas Childhood Obesity Preven- tion Policy Evaluation (T-COPPE) project. To read the report, visit https://sph.uth .edu/research/centers/dell/t-coppe.
About the survey TMA served on the project advisory com- mittee, which included representatives from The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Texas A&M Health Science Center, Texas Health In- stitute, Partnership for a Healthy Texas, the Texas Hospital Association, and the American Heart Association. The advisory committee provided input on survey questions, promoted the survey among legislators, and as- sisted with interpreting survey results. The project had a 46-percent overall re- sponse rate. Deanna Hoelscher, PhD, director of the Michael & Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living, oversaw the project and says all Texas legislators received a hard copy or online survey to complete. Ad- ditionally, the project included a quali- tative component that entailed 16 in- person interviews with members of the
34 TEXAS MEDICINE February 2014
House Committee on Public Health, the House Committee on Appropriations, House and Senate transportation com- mittees, and the Senate Committee on Health and Human Services. Because the project took place dur- ing the 2013 legislative session, which consisted of three special sessions, some legislators were unable to take part. Leg- islative aides therefore completed the survey from the perspective of the leg- islators who were unable to participate themselves.
The health perception survey polled participating legislators on how they’d like to receive public health and obesity- related information. Email (79 percent), websites (76 percent), and written in- formation (63 percent) ranked highest. Personal communication (49 percent), social media (47 percent), and other sources (24 percent) rounded out the responses.
Qualitative data collected via in-per-
son interviews can help public health advocates determine how to gain legis- lative support for childhood obesity-re- lated legislation. Respondents identified the most important steps to increasing passage of such bills, including:
• Finding a cause that can easily be supported,
• Visiting with legislators before the legislative session begins,
• Finding a champion,
• Improve the health of schoolchildren by increasing physical activity, health education, and other related health measures such as school health advi- sory committees.
• Enhance community environments to promote physical activity.
• Support coordinated school health programs that increase physical activ- ity and nutrition education.
• Support health education in high school.
• Educate parents about childhood obe- sity and healthier eating habits for children.
• Provide more physical activity in schools.
• Provide healthier school lunches.
Policy recommendations with little support among legislator respondents include:
• Prohibit the sale of soda, chips, and candy in school vending machines.
• Prohibit the sale of soda, chips, and candy in school cafeterias.
• Limit television ads for unhealthy foods and drinks targeted at young children.
More complete results from the sur-
vey will be released in early spring 2014. When asked about the role specific entities should play in fighting the obe- sity problem, transportation groups ranked lowest, with legislators indicat- ing such groups should play a “minor role.” Farmers, employers, and restau- rants also ranked low. Parents, families,
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