Milken Institute School of Public Health students are putting their classroom experience into practice via a new campaign aimed at preventing obesity. This semester the Community Organization, Development, and Advocacy class, which is part of the MPH Health Promotion program, created Health Happens Everywhere, a nationwide campaign to increase federal funding for public health programs as well as awareness for the Treat and Reduce Obesity Act.
“Our mission is to help Congress understand the importance of incorporating public health initiatives into legislation,” the group states on its website. “We hope to convince Congress to take action in support of increasing federal funding for preventative services and other public health initiatives.”
In order to tackle the issues of obesity and metabolic syndrome, the class divided into three sections: media relations/publicity, coalition-building with other organizations and negotiations with congressional representatives.
The students also built a website with resources for the public, including an index of key Senate and House legislators involved with the Treat and Reduce Obesity Act. The Health Happens Everywhere website also includes the contact information for each of the lawmakers so that interested members of the public can call and advocate for obesity prevention. Or, if people prefer to make their voices heard via social media, the students created helpful advocacy toolkits, also available on their website.
Jennifer Maizel, MPH '18, said the class assignment has encompassed all the skills she’s learned in her program in the Department of Prevention and Community Health. “Tying it all together was really helpful,” she said of the project, which began in August and continued through the fall 2017 semester.
That’s not stopping Maizel, however. She hopes to continue the fight against obesity after she graduates in May.