Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity: State Plan Infrastructure

Sustainability of a focused statewide effort to prevent obesity will require an established infrastructure at both a state and local level. Numerous stakeholders and groups have been working to address nutrition, physical activity, and obesity prevention issues in multiple settings for several years. 

The release of the 2005 Wisconsin Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity State Plan marked the beginning of measured efforts to build infrastructure and statewide capacity for obesity prevention. The infrastructure-related strategies included in that plan focused on creation and growth of strategic partnerships, development of resources and tools and provision of technical assistance for community coalitions and state-level partners. Many of those strategies have been accomplished, and with a basic infrastructure in place, this section is intended as a set of next steps in taking efforts to a larger scale since many of the partnerships, resources, and interventions have been developed.

To view the objectives and full list of strategies for implementation of infrastructure needs, see Wisconsin Nutrition, Physical Activity & Obesity State Plan - Infrastructure (PDF).

Key strategies overview

1. Increase the capacity for policy, systems, and environmental change at all levels by providing leadership and building networks amongst obesity prevention stakeholders.
2. Increase the capacity of community coalitions and local partnerships to strategically plan, implement, and evaluate policy, systems, and environmental change strategies for obesity prevention.
3. Develop and maintain partnerships with key stakeholders at both the local and state level in efforts to prevent and manage obesity through evidence-based strategies.
4. Increase communication amongst obesity prevention stakeholders.

Resources: Select Infrastructure Resources for ideas and materials to implement the key strategies.

Data key points

Without action, obesity-related medical expenditures could quadruple within the decade, from $1.6 billion to $6.7 billion.¹

¹United Health Foundation, America's Health Rankings, 2009