San Gabriel Valley Healthy Cities Collaborative

This story was originally published through 100 Million Healthier Lives and is brought to you through partnership with 100 Million Healthier Lives and the Institute for Healthcare Improvement.

The SCALE project was born out of the existing San Gabriel Valley Healthy Cities Collaborative. Our SCALE project is built on multisectoral partnerships with the aim to design and ultimately implement a multilevel plan for reducing our chronic disease health inequities due to over-weight, obesity and sedentary lifestyle, and creating healthier cities with community-based resources, supportive physical environments and policies for healthful eating and physical activity. Partners’ strengths and contributions are leveraged to ensure successful implementation of Peer-to-Peer efforts including the Teen Nutrition Council (TNC) program. The TNC empowers teens to be health change agents in Los Angeles County Service Planning Area 3 (San Gabriel Valley) using the Youth Participatory Research Approach. The collaborative’s diverse and multisectoral programs expand the community partners' reach, and infuse scientific knowledge and best practice approach into policy, practice and programs for enhanced efficacy. The youth empowerment approach of this enhanced project increases credibility and broader community buy-in to leverage full stakeholder community support and community business funding for greater public-private alliance for community ownership and sustainability.


Measure What Matters

Programs serve the communities of the San Gabriel Valley in Los Angeles County. The San Gabriel Valley has a population of 1.8 million. The majority are Latino (46%) and Asian (29%) with White (21%) and Black (4%) with 13% of the population lives <100% FPL and 22% of adults with less than a high school diploma. A large percentage (45%) primarily speak another language other than English at home and 38% of the population is foreign-born.

The obesity rate among adults in the San Gabriel Valley (SGV) rose from 13% in 1997 to 24% in 2011, a staggering 78% increase. In addition, 21% of SGV children in grades 5, 7 and 9 are obese. SGV also has the lowest rates in LA County of adults and children (ages 6-17) who obtain the recommended amount of physical activity each week (59% and 21% respectively).

Impact

The Teen Nutrition Council’s mission is to:

  1. Increase students' awareness and responsible decision-making regarding health and wellness by incorporating leadership skills in research, advocacy, and social determinants of health;
  2. Empower teens to be active community members and gain confidence in engaging policy makers and community stakeholders to enable policy and systemic change;
  3. Aid in the dissemination of factual information regarding current health issues (i.e. obesity, physical activity, etc.) affecting their peers and the broader community. All with the purpose of creating a healthier community for all.