Mendocino County >> When attending a community or school event, you may find large containers of water infused with flavorful fruits or vegetables instead of sodas. This is the result of the “Rethink Your Drink” campaign conducted by Mendocino County Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA) Public Health, Prevention and Planning Unit (PAPU) in collaboration with community partners to educate and help community organizations and schools adopt Healthy Beverage Standards.
The overarching goal of the campaign was to increase awareness of how sugary beverages contribute significantly to the current obesity epidemic and how changing the beverage environment could decrease consumption.
Research shows that sugary beverages are the single largest source of added sugar in the diet of Americans, who consume an average of 22 teaspoons of added sugars per day. The American Heart Association recommends five teaspoons a day for women and eight for men. A 20 ounce soda contains 16 teaspoons. Drinking one per day more than doubles the amount recommended for a healthy diet and adds to the risk of developing diabetes, heart disease and cancer.
This project was part of a Community Transformation Grant from the Centers for Disease Control’s (CDC) Division of Community Health administered by the Public Health Institute’s CA4Health Project in which Mendocino County and eleven other small rural counties participated.
A recent report from the Sarah Samuels Center for Public Health Research & Evaluation shows that between fall 2012 and summer 2014, schools and community organizations in Mendocino County contributed to a decrease in sugary beverages offerings by adopting Healthy Beverage Standards and increasing access to drinking water.
Using FoodBEAMS, a web-based data collection tool, nutritional information was collected on beverages offered at a number of sites throughout the county. Sites included schools, family resource centers, senior centers, school districts, recreation programs, community coalitions throughout the county and the City of Fort Bragg. That nutritional information was compared to standards developed by the Public Health Institute and measured the rate of adherence to the standards.
Six sites completed the study. For those sites, the availability of healthy beverages increased from 28% to 61% when these standards where applied. The other 12 sites were unable to complete the data collection as the grant was cut short.
Although the results of this initial report are promising, there is much more work to do in Mendocino County to reduce the consumption of sugary drinks. A total of 18 sites or institutions have adopted Healthy Beverage Standards. This is a small number, but a good start.
For information on this study or on the benefits of adopting Healthy Beverage Standards contact Colleen Schenck, Program Administrator, HHSA, Public Health Prevention and Planning Unit at 472-2610.
