- Initially a childhood obesity intervention, Shape-Up Somerville has become a leading example of community health promotion through environmental change.
- The program’s Community Based Participatory Research (CBPR) methods mean that community members define their greatest needs and therefore shape program design.
- Shape-Up Somerville has strong partnerships with public, private, and non-profit partners throughout the community.
- Somerville has been named the Healthiest City in Massachusetts and one of the Top 10 most Walkable Cities in the U.S.
- Even as Somerville becomes a more desirable place to live, Shape- Up Somerville continues to work to address health disparities and serve low-income populations.
Summary
Shape Up Somerville, which began in 2002 as a three-year research study on rates of overweight and obesity in schoolchildren, is a multi-faceted initiative that has expanded with the aim to build a healthier, more equitable environment for the entire Somerville community. In order to achieve this vision, Shape Up Somerville partners with a variety of municipal offices and non-governmental organizations to create environmental changes such as increased mileage of bike lanes, institutionalization of bicycle and pedestrian safety trainings for all children in the Somerville Public Schools, and undertaking a collaborative Food System Assessment to determine next steps in improving healthy, culturally-appropriate food access. A number of on-the-ground programs also stem from this initiative, including: the Somerville Mobile Farmers’ Market van and bike cart which deliver healthy, culturally-relevant foods to locations with poor food access; an annual Mayor’s Wellness Challenge promoting healthy opportunities around the city; and a healthy restaurant program in which restaurants produce a specific Shape Up menu or use the SUS logo next to particular dishes on the menu following a nutritionist’s approval. Various studies have examined the efficacy of the Shape Up Somerville program. Notably, 7.8% of Somerville residents commuted by bicycle in 2014 (one of the highest proportions in the country), compared to 2% in 1990. One study found a decrease in obesity in Somerville from 30% to 28% in students between 2010 and 2011.[1] Another study reported that the BMI percentile for Somerville children decreased by one point compared to comparison control communities without the prevention program between 2003 and 2004.[2]
- Chomitz, Virginia R, et al., A Decade of Shape Up Somerville: Assessing Child Obesity Measures 2002-2011. Shape Up Somerville, 2012. www.somervillema.gov/sites/default/files/shape-up-somerville-bmi-report.pdf.; Sara C. Folta et al., “Changes in Diet and Physical Activity Resulting from the Shape Up Somerville Community Intervention,” BMC Pediatrics 13, no. 1 (2013): 157, doi:10.1186/1471-2431-13-157.; Chomitz, Virgina R, et al. Shape Up Somerville: Building and Sustaining a Healthy Community. Shape Up Somerville, 2013. www.somervillema.gov/sites/default/files/shape-up-somerville-story.pdf.
- “Urban Health Promotion: Selected Case Studies on Diabetes” (C3: Collaborating for Health, December 17, 2015), http://www.c3health.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Urban-health-promotion-and-diabetes-book-FINAL1.pdf.
