How Can Brooklyn Drive Down Diabetes?

Did you know that in 2007-2009, that Brooklyn had an adult obesity rate of 25% and a diagnosed diabetes rate of 10.2%? [NYC DOHMH Community Health Survey]

Well, the folks who are part of the Brooklyn Partnership to Drive Down Diabetes (BP3D) do and they are determined to achieve lasting health policy and environmental changes over the next two years. BP3D is a collaboration between CAMBA, the Greater Brooklyn Health Coalition and is guided by a coalition of over 40 public and private stakeholders. They took on a social marketing campaign last year to promote healthy eating on the community level: Our Health is in Our Hands.

I attended a strategic plan meeting yesterday at Brooklyn College, and learned more about BP3D's 5 Strategic Goals to help Brooklynites gain more access to healthy food options and safe places to exercise so we can more effectively manage our weight and prevent/reduce diabetes. The goals are to:

1. Address linguistic and cultural/ethnic barriers to healthcare
2. Build partnerships and coordinate among service providers and health promotion programs
3. Increase knowledge of and access to healthy options
4. Build capacity of faith-based and community centers to address health needs
5. Create sustainability of BP3D and partner programs

I was honored to be able to share the findings from our workgroup, after an hour-long brainstorming session to determine our Top 3 Recommended Action Items to Achieve BP3D Goal 3:

• Change and enforce school food and physical activity policies -- ensure that this includes parent education and awareness; stimulate connections between students and local community gardens; ensure school water fountains work; create age-appropriate nutrition and health awareness curriculum that demonstrates connection between physical activity and academic performance
• Expand existing city initiatives, e.g., healthy bodegas and play streets -- ensure that this includes social media strategies to increase awareness and strengthen connections; maintain cultural sensitivity
• Establish and expand workplace wellness programs -- ensure that this includes healthy eating options in worksite cafeterias; create company health fairs and employee health competitions; facilitate public/private partnerships to link business owners with nutrition and health awareness resources

As a Brooklyn resident and entrepreneur, I'm excited to be part of this endeavor, and look forward to sharing more about our efforts going forward. Share your thoughts and comments here on the blog, or tweet me using the #BP3D hashtag.