The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Research Network to Prevent Obesity Among Latino Children Photo: Students on a field trip to the El Paso Zoo hold up maps from the Zoo s Wild About Health Scavenger Hunt (Source: Sue Beatty). SUCCESS STORY: 2015 El Paso Zoo Uses Menus, Signage To Get Kids Wild About Health The zoo isn t exactly a place of health (for humans), with typical fare like popcorn, ice cream, cotton candy, and sugary drinks. However, in El Paso, TX, kids and visitors of all ages are learning fun facts about how they can be healthy by copying habits, like eating fruits and vegetables, from animals. In 2012, the El Paso Zoo installed new signs and healthy menu items to promote good health for its record-breaking 354,130 visitors, and they continue to work with city public health officials to make a healthy lifestyle second nature to the community.
EMERGENCE Awareness: In 2010, El Paso, Texas, a vibrant a city with a rich culture at the west-most point of the state, was named the third-fattest city in the U.S. Sue Beatty, a health education and training manager with the City of El Paso s Public Health Department, knew she and her colleagues had to respond to local data showing 29% of adults were obese and another 37% overweight. Beatty said Michael Kelly, deputy director of the Paso Del Wild About Health signs just like this are located Norte Foundation, a nonprofit group that supports local throughout the zoo. efforts to improve health, shared her concern and desire to act. Kelly, believing that a diverse community coalition could come together to develop health policies and initiatives, approached Beatty with an opportunity to lead a new healthy eating active living (HEAL) coalition. She accepted. Learn/Frame Issue: The HEAL coalition, which included city, business, research and medical officials, began exploring policies that could remove barriers to good health and reduce (and/or prevent) obesity. Several initiatives started to get underway, such as a city policy to ensure that at least 10% of snacks sold in city buildings were healthy, new walking trails, and healthier kid menus in restaurants. But what about improving health at an entertainment venue, like the El Paso Zoo? We said, There s some funding for obesity prevention, so why don t we see if we can find an entity that s popular in the community to partner with? Beatty said. DEVELOPMENT Education: With potential funding available from the Texas Department of State Health Services (TDSHS), and the HEAL a coalition s support, Beatty was in the right position to approach the zoo with the idea of entering a partnership aimed at getting zoo visitors to eat healthy and move more. Beatty says the city reached out to the zoo s director who was on board with the idea of applying for a state grant to fund the new initiative. They applied for and were given a $24,000 grant for a health initiative at the zoo. Each Wild About Health sign is bi-lingual, features a healthy message, and the Wild About Health logo. Healthier Marketing 2
Mobilization: They formed a five-member committee Beatty, a kinesiology professor, a registered dietician, and city and zoo officials to meet monthly and start planning a new campaign to promote healthy lifestyles among adult and child zoo visitors, which they would eventually name Wild About Health. Their idea was to create signs that would incorporate zoo animals in their messages about healthy eating and active living. Rick Lobello, zoo s educational curator, provided insight into how the team could relate their healthy messaging to the zoo inhabitants. For instance, Lobello explained, the Galapagos turtle eats lots of vegetables and lives up to 100 years old, so this would be a good example of combining knowledge of the animals along with a healthy message to encourage children to eat more vegetables. Meerkats eat together in groups, which makes a great example of why families should always try to eat together. Debate: In addition, the team wanted to be sure they could offer visitors some healthy options to purchase at the zoo s café. However, the team learned this might be somewhat of a challenge, since a third party food vendor was responsible for deciding what foods were sold there. Nonetheless, Beatty and the team s registered dietician approached the zoo s food services manager with the idea of providing some healthy options on their menu. More specifically, Beatty was hoping that they might be able to offer a healthier lunch to children who visited during field trips. According to Beatty, at first the food services manager was reluctant to promote healthier options because he didn t think the items would sell. Still, he agreed to work with a dietician to review the café menu. This Wild About Health sign talks about the importance of eating together as a family. ENACTMENT Activation: With a plan in mind, the team started organizing a Wild About Health media event and campaign launch in February 2012. They also held a poster contest to encourage kids in grades K-3 to draw zoo animals along with written health tips. Kids from local schools got Wild About Health by developing healthy messages as part of a contest. Healthier Marketing 3
For the kick-off event the zoo s Marketing and Public Relations Coordinator, Karla Martinez, says she invited members from the University of Texas El Paso (UTEP), health organizations, Zumba instructors, and various nonprofit groups, to set up a health fair and handout information. Some groups agreed to do blood glucose testing or hand out free pedometers. Frame Policy: The team decided on placing 14 bilingual signs throughout the zoo. They also created a teacher s guide and a map to take teachers and students in grades K-3 through a 60 minute scavenger hunt that teaches kids about good health and how it relates to the zoo s animals. Leaders speak at the El Paso zoo s launch of the Wild About Health program. Examples of signs include: The El Paso Zoo and the Department of Public Health have teamed up to encourage people to go Wild About Health. Watch for our signs as you walk through the zoo. It takes about 2-3 hours to visit the zoo. Walking is a great way to burn calories. Our zoo animals start their day with a hearty breakfast, you should too! STOP. Touch your toes 10 times! Bend down and touch your toes like a giraffe bending down to get a drink. This will increase the flow of blood to your joints ligaments, and muscles. Outside play is important for children. Find safe and fun places to play outdoors Meerkats, live, eat and hunt in family groups. Copy the meerkats by sharing a family meal and taking a walk together. Family time is healthy time! Go Wild About Health at home by being physically active and eating healthy everyday! Our elephants eat about 150 pounds of vegetables per day. Go to myplate.gov and discover your serving size. Siamangs stay slim by eating a variety of fruits and vegetables. They re Wild About Health and you can be too! In the wild, sea lions are always on the move as they swim in the ocean looking for food. Move every day with 30-60 minutes of moderate aerobic activity, like brisk walking or swimming. Each sign contains the Wild About Health logo, a health tip, a photo, and a QR code that can be scanned with a smart phone in case someone would like to access more information on a particular health topic. Leaders unveil Wild About Health signs during a Feb. 2012 event. Healthier Marketing 4
Change: On February 25, 2012, the zoo in partnership with the City of El Paso Public Health Department, officially launched Wild About Health with the new signs and healthy menu items designated with a sticker. Beatty said milk replaced soda in field-trip students lunches and fruit (or baked chips) replaced regular potato chips. Patrons could order a side salad instead of fries. Veggie cups with low-fat dressing were also added to the menu. IMPLEMENTATION Implementation: For the first 4 months (February-June 2012) after launching the Wild About Health campaign, local college students surveyed zoo visitors and teachers about the sign messages and locations. Watermelon Wednesday, which took place during the summer of 2014, showed zoo visitors how the zoo works to enrich the lives of the animals. Survey respondents noted a few hard-to-see signs, so the team raised or moved several signs to increase visibility. They later noted an increase in interaction with signage and participation in physical activity. Surveys also showed that one-third of zoo visitors were aware of Wild About Health before visiting the zoo. They also found that half of respondents bought a healthy food item at the zoo café. Approximately 98% felt it was a good idea to encourage visitors to be healthy and 97% said they would like to see health messages at other public places. Equity/Sustainability: Wild About Health signs continue to be prominently displayed at the El Paso Zoo. Our agreement was to keep the signs on display as long as they remain in good condition, hopefully for at least 10 years, Beatty said. The zoo has also strived to promote good health among employees by encouraging them to bike rather than use a golf cart to get around the facilities. The zoo also hosts enrichment days for the community on a regular basis, Martinez said. In summer 2014, during one enrichment day, the zoo held Watermelon Wednesday and took several photos of zoo animals enjoying some watermelon. People loved it, said Martinez. You could just smell the watermelon and people wanted to eat it as well. So our café started selling it as well. After visiting the zoo on Watermelon Wednesday, several of the zoo s visitors were encouraged to eat fresh fruit the way several of the zoo s animals do. Healthier Marketing 5
This success story was produced by Salud America! with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The stories are intended for educational and informative purposes. References to specific policymakers, individuals, schools, policies, or companies have been included solely to advance these purposes and do not constitute an endorsement, sponsorship, or recommendation. Stories are based on and told by real community members and are the opinions and views of the individuals whose stories are told. Organization and activities described were not supported by Salud America! or the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and do not necessarily represent the views of Salud America! or the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. ABOUT THE PROGRAM Salud America! The RWJF Research Network to Prevent Obesity Among Latino Children is a national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The program aims to educate researchers, decision-makers, community leaders, and the public in contributing toward healthier Latino communities and seeking environmental and policy solutions to the epidemic of Latino childhood obesity. The network is directed by the Institute for Health Promotion Research at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. For more information, visit http://. Healthier Marketing 6