Health

Statewide Health Improvement Initiatives

Statewide Outcome(s):

The Office of Statewide Health Improvement Initiatives supports the following statewide outcome(s).

Minnesotans are healthy.

Strong and stable families and communities

Context:

The Office of Statewide Health Improvement Initiatives (OSHII) supports all Minnesotans in leading healthier lives, raising healthier families and building healthier communities by preventing chronic disease before it starts. Chronic diseases such as diabetes, stroke, heart disease, and cancer are among the most common, costly and preventable of all health problems in the U.S. The effects of these diseases are staggering:

·        Nearly two-thirds of Minnesota adults are overweight or obese, and childhood obesity has tripled in just 30 years;

·        Chronic diseases like diabetes, cancer, and heart disease are estimated to cause 35 percent of all deaths and 75 percent of all health care spending in the U.S each year; and

·        Minnesota spends $2.9 billion in annual medical costs as a result of tobacco (2007). The economic cost associated with obesity in Minnesota is $2.8 billion (2006) and $5.06 billion for alcohol (2007).

Research shows that four everyday behaviors – lack of exercise, poor nutrition, tobacco use, and excessive alcohol consumption – are responsible for much of the suffering and early death related to chronic diseases. But changing these behaviors can be difficult without changing everyday places – such as worksites, schools, and communities – to better support healthier choices.

To reduce the harmful effects of chronic disease, OSHII works in partnership with communities, including local and tribal public health agencies, child care sites, health systems, schools, and worksites, to:

·        Increase the percentage of Minnesotans who eat more healthy foods and are more physically active;

·        Reduce the percentage of Minnesotans who misuse or are harmed by alcohol and other drugs; and

·        Reduce the percentage of Minnesotans who use commercial tobacco products or are exposed to second-hand smoke.

Approximately ten percent of this work is funded by the state general fund, with the remaining funding split about equally between the health care access fund and federal grants.

Strategies:

In partnership with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other leaders in public health, MDH has developed a nation-leading set of strategies for supporting healthier living. Instead of focusing on individual behavior change that may be hard to maintain over time, OSHII helps communities make sustainable, systemic changes that create widespread and lasting results. OSHII operates a number of programs including the State Health Improvement Program (SHIP).

For example, instead of trying to convince people to walk more, OSHII-funded communities may design safer, more accessible routes so people can walk more. Instead of encouraging people to eat healthier, a school or worksite may decide to work with local farmers to incorporate fresh produce into the meal plans. Instead of asking people to quit smoking, communities may ask owners of multi-unit housing to make their buildings smoke-free or work with health care providers to refer more people to tobacco quitlines.

OSHII accomplishes this by:

·        Supporting change: providing grants and technical assistance for communities to create policy, system, and environmental changes that support healthier living;

·        Effectively meeting local needs: helping local public health professionals and their community partners chose what will work best for them from a menu of evidence-based, proven strategies;

·        Sustaining success: building public-private partnerships to create more lasting change than government can accomplish alone; and

·        Measuring progress: monitoring health trends and conducting rigorous evaluation of improvement efforts.

Results:

OSHII funded programs:

·        Increase the percentages of Minnesotans who are practicing healthier behaviors, leading to prevention and better control of chronic diseases;

·        Contribute to the containment of health care costs through prevention and/or delay of onset of chronic diseases;

·        Contribute to stronger and more stable families and communities because of the impact of healthier behaviors on improved academic achievement, worker performance, social connectedness in communities, community empowerment, and economic vitality of communities; and

·        Demonstrate the value of investing in the health of the community and how this leverages the assets of individuals, families, and organizations to become more thriving communities.

During its first two years, as examples, the Statewide Health Improvement Program (SHIP):

·        Supported 870 employers in implementing worksite wellness initiatives serving over 138,000 employees across the state;

·        Provided healthier food options for 26 percent of all Minnesota K-12 students through Farm to School nutrition initiatives; and

·        Created safe walking and/or biking routes to schools for 14 percent of all K–8 schools in the state.

Research shows that over time and with sustained statewide resources and coverage, these efforts will increase the behaviors that prevent chronic disease. For example, a recent article in the journal Pediatrics found that adolescents gained less weight in states that have enacted strong laws regulating the nutrition content of foods and beverages sold in schools outside of meal programs