We recognize our responsibility to promote health and wellness so that our children can reach their full potential. Transportation and land use policies that promote walking and biking as well as neighborhood park and playground development can encourage physical activity. City parks and recreation departments can also play a major role in encouraging physical fitness and active lifestyles. Mayors and other city leaders can also enhance families’ access to healthy foods by working with community groups to enroll eligible families in the federal food stamp and child nutrition programs, attract super-markets to underserved neighborhoods, and promote farmers’ markets and community gardens.

City-school partnerships offer particularly promising ways to promote healthy lifestyles and environments, including through the development of community wellness plans. By collaborating with school districts, municipal leaders can help educate young people about healthy food choices and improve their eating habits. Removing snack foods and soft drinks from schools, offering more nutritious food choices in school cafeterias, and ensuring that young people have an opportunity to be physically active during the school day are some of the steps that city and school leaders can take when working together.

Key areas for action include:  

• Transportation and land use policies that encourage biking and walking
• Neighborhood park and playground development
• Sports and recreation programs
• Food stamp, school lunch and school breakfast outreach campaigns
• Incentives for supermarkets and farmers’ markets to open in low-income neighborhoods
• Collaborations with schools to educate youth about healthy food choices and expand access to nutritious foods
• Community-wide fitness and wellness campaigns

Examples of local targets to consider:

• Miles of bike routes and walking paths
• Number of neighborhood parks and playgrounds
• Proportion of eligible families enrolled in the federal food stamp and child nutrition programs
• Number of supermarkets or farmers’ markets in low-income neighborhoods
• Childhood obesity rates
• Levels of physical activity among children and youth
• Removal of snack foods and unhealthy food choices from schools 

For Further Information and Resources

Promoting Physical Activity:

» NLC Institute for Youth, Education, and Families

» Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Leadership for Healthy Communities

» National Recreation and Park Association

» International City/County Management Association

» YMCA of America

» Safe Routes to School

» Prevention Institute

» Local Government Commission

Access to Healthy Foods:

» NLC Institute for Youth, Education, and Families

» Food Research and Action Center

» Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Leadership for Healthy Communities

» International City/County Management Association

» U.S. Conference of Mayors

» Centers for Disease Control

Promoting Wellness in Schools:

» NLC Institute for Youth, Education, and Families

» American Association of School Administrators

» National School Boards Association

» Action for Healthy Kids