Health Equity Resource Toolkit for State Practitioners Addressing Obesity Disparities

Date of Review: December, 2019

The purpose of this toolkit is to increase the capacity of state health departments and their partners to work with and through communities to implement effective responses to obesity in populations that are facing health disparities. The Toolkit’s primary focus is on how to create policy, systems, and environmental changes that will reduce obesity disparities and achieve health equity. This toolkit, produced by the CDC, provides an overview of suggested processes for planning, implementing, and evaluating programs that address obesity and inequity. The 83 page document includes a description of how to use the toolkit, introductory matter that explains the impact of social and structural determinants of health on obesity, and then provides a conceptual framework for incorporating health equity into the process of addressing obesity. The toolkit includes the evidence that supports each process, practical tools, and case studies sharing successful efforts led by state public health departments. Educators may wish to use this toolkit as a resource for trainees who are involved in community health projects as a sample template; provide sections of the overall packet for readings related to specific aims (for example, section 3 on multi-sector partnerships, non-traditional partnerships, and community engagement); or select case studies from the sections to generate discussion. — Brigid Dolan, MD, NCEAS