Obesity Causes and Consequences

METHODS This state obesity dashboard design was based on the County Health Rankings (Rankings) model, a population health model which highlights key factors that, if improved, would make the counties and communities healthier places to live.6 The Rankings measures health based on 3 elements: health outcomes, health factors, and policies and programs.7 While in the Rankings model adult obesity rates are considered a health factor for many chronic diseases, we adapted the model such that age-based obesity rates were considered the primary outcomes of interest, because of the low prevalence of chronic disease in childhood. A broad list of possible indicators was developed through a literature review of obesity prevention and intervention programs, noting measures commonly used to evaluate these programs. Potential indicators were evaluated with respect to both their relevance to ongoing obesity prevention efforts in Wisconsin and to the obesity-adapted Rankings model. In selecting the final subset of sentinel indicators, criteria for potential inclusion the need to be modifiable, accessible through publicly available data, and available at a spatial scale that would allow for state-to-state comparisons. The list ultimately was narrowed to include 3 health outcome indicators, 6 health factor indicators, and 4 policy indicators (Table 1) through consensus discussion with the Obesity Prevention Initiative surveillance and evaluation team members. The health factors were divided into 3 categories: behavior, clinical, and environment. However, a more comprehensive list of indictors we identified can be found through the INTRODUCTION Public health surveillance encompasses a systematic collection and interpretation of data in order to enact change to improve the health of a population.1 Progress reports, such as dashboards, have been used in many settings to provide quick reference for managers to assess progress and identify areas for improvement.2 This Wisconsin obesity dashboard aims to provide a new group of indicators to measure obesity through data that can be found through publicly available sources. Systems to monitor obesity typically have focused on measuring individual indicators; energy expenditure, energy intake, and weight status.3 However, we now recognize there are multiple upstream determinants that impact childhood obesity rates.4,5 ABSTRACT Importance: A comprehensive obesity surveillance system monitors obesity rates along with causes and related health policies, which are valuable for tracking and identifying problems needing intervention.