Obesity Prevention Summit, December 6, 2012 – Shoreline, WA Community Approaches to Healthier Beverage Environments

Overview Jennifer Trott, COPC – Why sugary drinks and what are we doing about it? Paula Sword, Seattle Children’s – Mission Nutrition; how Seattle Children’s is approaching sugary drinks. Anne Pearson, ChangeLab Solutions – Policy options to reduce overconsumption of sugary drinks. Discussion – You ask questions and share your thoughts Obesity Prevention Summit, December 6, 2012 – Shoreline, WA

What are “Sugary drinks?” Obesity Prevention Summit, December 6, 2012 – Shoreline, WA Sugary drinks include non-diet sodas, sports drinks, energy drinks, sweetened fruit drinks and vitamin drinks—they contain little or no nutritional value and are one of the leading causes of obesity.

Why Soda and Sugary Drinks? Sugary drinks are a leading cause of obesity today. Sugary drinks are typically inexpensive and readily available where we work, live, play (and often where we learn). They tend to have high calorie counts, not to mention sugar, yet they don’t make us full like food does. Obesity Prevention Summit, December 6, 2012 – Shoreline, WA

Why Soda and Sugary Drinks? We drink a LOT. On average, Americans drink about 40 pounds of sugar a year. A 20-ounce bottle of soda on average has more than 16 teaspoons of sugar and 240 calories— double the amount of added sugar recommended for a daily diet! We are drinking more sugary, less nutritious drinks than before—sugar-loaded beverage consumption has almost tripled over the last thirty years. Obesity Prevention Summit, December 6, 2012 – Shoreline, WA

What are we doing? Community-wide challenge in King County to take a break from soda and other sugary drinks for at least one day per week. o Over 1,000 pledges o 55 organizations signed on to the campaign. o Support of City Council and the Seattle mayor o Resolution from the King County Board of Health

Healthier Beverage Environments Working with community based organizations and influential spaces in the community Healthy beverage pledge (e.g. adopt a healthy beverage policy, post signage) More increased focus on communities most intensely targeted by availability and marketing of sugary drinks

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