Community and Culture in Step with Health

It did not take long for parents in Pixley, California to figure out that a local park wouldn’t be suitable for their children’s folkloric dance practice.  The park has minimal shade and no dressing areas for the children to change into their traditional outfits.  Parents don’t have a place to sit as their children practiced and performed.  After six months in these conditions, the concerned parents set out to change things.

Pixley is located in Tulare County, part of the 240-mile long San Joaquin Valley.  The San Joaquin Valley is a major agricultural region encompassing eight counties (Kern, Kings, Tulare, Fresno, Madera, Merced, Stanislaus and San Joaquin) in central California.  But the bounty of the land does not extend to the population; residents, many of them migrant workers, have among the lowest per capita income, highest rate of poverty, and least educational attainment in the state.  All are factors contributing to high rates of overweight and obesity, particularly among the region’s youth.

Several of the Pixley parents were leaders of the Tulare County Obesity Council, a group active in promoting access to healthy foods and opportunities for physical activity among for the county’s youth.  Tulare County’s council is one of eight councils of its kind in surrounding San Joaquin Valley counties, formed by the Central California Regional Obesity Prevention Program (CCROPP).  CCROPP’s aim is to reverse the childhood obesity epidemic in the valley.

Through their active role in the council, Pixley parents were able to partner with a local school to secure the school gym as a regular practice space.  Along the way, however, were six months of challenging negotiations with the school superintendent.  In the end, the group gained a safe place to practice their traditional Hispanic folk dance.  The group of boys and girls ranging in age from 2nd to 8th grade practices several types of time-honored routines and now performs them in California and even out of state.  The group has now attracted nearly 100 members.

Brandie Campbell, Communications Specialist for CCROPP, says a community-level approach is the bedrock of their efforts to prevent childhood obesity.  Through a three-pronged approach across the region, CCROPP brings together eight public health departments, community-based organizations, and community councils in each county.  “In each county, the three entities rely on each other to function,” she noted.  By engaging policymakers, health departments, community stakeholders, and residents of each county who help identify priorities within the different communities, CCROPP helps ensure obesity prevention efforts are relevant to each area. 

Such is the case with Pixley, where obesity prevention was successfully melded with the important cultural tradition of folkloric dance.  “This is an example of a perfect fit in the areas of both health and culture,” Campbell noted.  She also credits the persistence and indispensability of the parent council members.  “These parents gathered the manpower needed to create these changes,” she said.  “We truly rely on those voices to create community change.”

Resources

• Central California Regional Obesity Prevention Program (CCROPP)
• CCROPP Fact sheet (English, Spanish)
• CCROPP Fotonovela – “Eating Better and Moving More” (English, Spanish)