A.   New APHA Policy Urges Action to Reverse the Obesity Epidemic

A new policy was recently adopted by APHA, Policy 200619, "Urgent Call for a Nationwide Public Health Infrastructure and Action to Reverse the Obesity Epidemic" (http://www.apha.org/advocacy/policy/policysearch/default.htm?id=1343).  Jake Pauls, a Section member who serves as an APHA representative on several committees responsible for national built environment codes and standards, attended the public hearing.  He drew attention to the need for the policy to address the additional implications of the obesity epidemic, particularly in relation to changes that must be made in the design, construction and operation of built environment infrastructure to mitigate the effects of obesity, weight problems generally, and the deteriorating fitness of people in the United States of America and elsewhere.

As a result of the hearing input, new language was added, resulted in the middle sentence of the following text included in the preamble portion of the new APHA Policy: "While the financial costs of obesity have a large impact on the cost of adult health care and lost work productivity, the long-term consequences are most dire for children. Other financial concerns include substantial costs that will be incurred in the design, construction and operation of buildings and other built environment infrastructure due to the number of individuals who are obese, overweight or physically unfit. Worldwide, nations are being urged to take action now and organize themselves to introduce a wide range of interventions to avoid the otherwise inevitable human and economic costs of chronic disease attributable to poor diet, physical inactivity and tobacco use."

Some of Jake Pauls' current efforts in the safety standards and model building code development arena, on behalf of APHA, focus on changes to be made to exit stairs, for example, to help compensate for reduced occupant evacuation capability -- estimated to be as much as 50 percent lower than capability documented 40 years ago.  For example, an increase of 27 percent in new exit stair minimum width, from 44 inches to 56 inches, is currently being advocated for the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) model building code and the NFPA Life Safety Code.  For additional information, or questions or suggestions, please contact Jake Pauls at: bldguse@aol.com.

Submitted by: Jake Pauls, Consulting Services in Building Use and Safety

B.   Trade Day on Capitol Hill

The APHA Forum on Trade and Health will be holding a strategy session followed by visits to Capitol Hill to enlighten Congress about the impact of trade on health.  The Trade Act of 2002 expires in July 2007; this bill includes the Administration’s “fast-track” trade promotion authority, which precludes Congressional amendments to trade agreements.  In 2003-5, a critical core of influential health organizations succeeded in bringing concerns about the impact of trade policy on health to the attention of policy-makers in Congress and the administration, as well as to the media and the public.  As a result of our work, representatives of two organizations that advocate for public health positions on tobacco control and access to generic medicines have been appointed to advisory committees of the U.S. Trade Representative.  The landscape has changed in significant ways recently, and we anticipate the opportunity for more deliberate progress in 2007-8 on a public health agenda for trade. The strategy meetings on Feb. 1-2, 2007, established a beginning framework for the next two years.

The Environment Section is a sponsor of the APHA Forum on Trade.