New York City Healthy Neighborhood Campaign

Share

CLICK HERE TO SEND AN EMAIL ASKING CITY LEADERS TO ACT

To join the ACS CAN Healthy Neighborhoods Campaign complete the form found here. 

 

Summary
In 2019, ACS CAN is launching a healthy neighborhoods campaign with a goal of increasing access to affordable, healthy foods in neighborhoods across New York City, improving the physical activity of all New Yorkers and ultimately reducing the number of obesity-related cancer deaths. Your help is needed to ensure that Mayor de Blasio and the City Council do their part to ensure that all New Yorkers have access to the tools that help support a balanced diet and a healthier life.

Background
Obesity has become an epidemic in New York City. After more than a decade of decline, the percentage of obese adults rose to 25 percent.  That’s a 22 percent increase since 2002.  More than half of all adult New Yorkers are either overweight or have obesity.  

Even more alarming is the sharp increase in obesity among youth in New York City. Nearly half of all elementary school and Head Start students are either overweight or obese.  Research shows that overweight kids are more likely to become overweight adults and experience other health risks.  Making this problem even more challenging is the fact that thirteen percent of adults are not eating any fruits or vegetables daily, twenty-three percent of adults are consuming sugary drinks daily,  and a quarter-million children in New York City Schools are not getting sufficient physical education each week. These trends are so alarming because approximately 18 percent of all cancers are caused by poor diet, physical inactivity, excess weight, and excess alcohol consumption.  

The Problem
Access to affordable healthy foods has become a privilege afforded to some instead of a right for all. While many of us can walk out of our homes in any direction and pick up healthy groceries, millions of New Yorkers live in food deserts, neighborhoods across the city where affordable, healthy food options, especially fresh fruits and vegetables, are almost nonexistent. Meanwhile, fast food restaurants and corner stores with few healthy options are omnipresent in these same neighborhoods. Living in a food desert means you are more likely to develop obesity because of a lack of healthy food options available to you. Adding to the challenge of many New Yorkers are the lack of opportunities for physical activity and the lack of physical education programs in many city schools.

The Solution
In 2015 Mayor de Blasio set a goal to cut premature mortality by 25 percent by 2040.  To achieve this goal, Mayor de Blasio and the City Council need to respond to these alarming trends by using their authority and budget to address the factors contributing to the obesity crisis.

Mayor de Blasio and the City Council should: 

  • Provide financial incentives to help store owners bring and keep healthy foods on their shelves and to entrepreneurs willing to open healthy food establishments in underserved neighborhoods;
  • Expand programs like SNAP and Health Bucks to ensure that all New Yorkers can afford healthy foods; 
  • Discourage the consumption of sugary drinks;
  • Strengthen city nutritional standards including those of city schools;
  • Continue New York City’s commitment to physical education in our schools and opportunities for physical activity in all neighborhoods; and
  • Explore other options to ensure that all New Yorkers have access to the tools that help support a balanced diet and a healthier life.

Call to Action
It is up to Mayor de Blasio and the City Council to look at their budgets and take the steps that will reduce obesity in our city and prevent even more unnecessary deaths. We need your help to make sure that Mayor de Blasio and the City Council make reducing obesity a priority, starting with the 2019-2020 City Budget, which must be adopted by July 1st, 2019.

Join ACS CAN’s Healthy Neighborhood Campaign. 
With your support, we can increase access to affordable, healthy foods in New York City, improve the physical activity of all New Yorkers and ultimately reduce the number of obesity-related cancer deaths.

For this campaign to be successful we need a broad set of coalition partners and advocates committed to helping in this effort.  Every organization, institution, and individual has something they can bring to the table that will advance this campaign.

To join the ACS CAN Healthy Neighborhoods Campaign complete the form found here.

 

We will be in touch with you when opportunities for you to get involved become available.

CLICK HERE TO SEND AN EMAIL ASKING CITY LEADERS TO ACT

 

 

Join passionate volunteers from across the five boroughs of New York City for an action-packed day as we converge on city hall to represent our communities in the fight for a world free of cancer. Don’t miss out on this incredible opportunity to meet with your city lawmakers and network...

Your Support CAN fight Cancer