The Obesity Epidemic:

THE HEALTHY BOISE INITIATIVES 2.0
April 2, 2015, Boise City Council Strategic Planning Session
In an effort to reduce childhood obesity and create a more healthy community, Council Member
TJ Thomson is proposing the Healthy Boise Initiatives, which includes implementation of all of
the following components:
1. Healthy Kid Zones around Boise schools: No fast food, mobile vendors, or
billboard/park bench marketing within 1,000 foot radius.
2. Healthy food and beverage options in City contracts for concessions, vending and Cityinitiated events
3. Mobile Farmers Market SNAP Benefits Match (1-year pilot)
4. Health and the Built Environment: Rapid HIAs and updates to Blueprint Boise
The Obesity Epidemic:
Childhood Obesity, not smoking, is the #1 preventable cause of death in the United States.
The 2013 Idaho Youth Risk Behavior Survey notes that the percent of students who were obese continues to increase significantly over time. Among Idaho students, over 25% are considered to be overweight or obese. For students to meet current nutritional recommendations, they would need to substantially lower their intake of added fats, refined grains, and added sugars and sweeteners and increase their consumption of fruits, vegetables. The 2012 Idaho Department of Health & Welfare Behavioral Risk Factors results notes that 62.5% of adults are overweight or obese n Idaho. 1. Healthy Kid Zones
Limit unhealthy foods within 1,000 foot zones of an open campus:
Discussion: One factor contributing to the increase in obesity is the easy access children and
youth have to low-nutrient, high-calorie foods. Because children consume a significant portion
of their daily calories during and soon after the school day, many communities are restricting
students’ access to low-nutrient foods near school campuses. Efforts to improve the nutritional
quality of foods provided to children at school are undermined when students leave campus to
buy fast food nearby, or when they buy fast food on their way to or from school. A recent study
found that students with fast food restaurants near their schools (1) consumed fewer servings of
fruits and vegetables, (2) consumed more servings of soda, and (3) were more likely to be
overweight or obese than were youth whose school were not near fast food restaurants. The
Pacific Institute found that "On average, a person will walk 1,000 feet in less than five minutes.
This distance was chosen as an estimate of the short distance that students at a school, users of a
park, and customers of liquor stores would easily travel." Establishing “Healthy Kid Zones”
emphasizes the value we place as a city on the health of our children.
Proposed Fast Food Code Change:
11-06-05
COMMERCIAL USE STANDARDS
5. Fast Food Restaurants (new section)
A. Location Relative to Schools
(1) No fast food restaurant may be located within 1,000 feet of the nearest property line of
any public, charter, or private high school.
11-12-02
DEFINITIONS
3. Commercial Uses
D.
Food and Beverage Services (new definition)
(4) Fast Food Restaurant
A restaurant where food and beverages are: (1) prepared in advance of customer orders or
are able to be quickly prepared for consumption on or off the premises; (2) ordered and
served over counters or at drive-through windows; and (3) paid for before being consumed.
Proposed Street Vending Code Change:
Section 5-12-10
GENERAL RESTRICTIONS
Vendors, solicitors, and temporary merchants are subject to the following restrictions:
K. Mobile vending carts, trailers and vehicles, shall not be placed within 1,000 feet of any public or
private kindergarten, elementary, middle, junior high or high school. (Allow for a special event
exception, if requested by the school)
(6515, Amended, 11/14/2006; 6159, Amended, 07/09/2002)
Section 5-12-12
STREET VENDING RESTRICTIONS
In addition to the restrictions and qualifications contained in this chapter, street vendors are additionally subject to the
following restrictions:
D. Vendor trailers and vehicles shall not park within 1,000 feet of any public or private kindergarten,
elementary, middle, junior high or high school while actively engaged in vending operations. (Allow for
a special event exception, if requested by the school)
Remove marketing to kids within 1,000 foot zones of all schools:
Discussion: Kids are inundated with ads on a daily basis. Studies show that through the age of
12, kids don’t understand that they are being influenced by the ads they see. School zones
should be free of marketing to create an environment more conducive to learning. A recent
study looked at the number of tobacco retailers impacted by advertising restrictions and found
that in order to be effective in curbing advertisements, restrictions would need to be a least 1,000
feet. School zones should also be safe areas, where drivers are free of additional distractions that
remove their eyes from the road.
A. Bus bench advertising
City Code 11-10-14.3.J prohibits advertising on bus benches, except when authorized by Valley
Regional Transit (VRT). VRT has an exclusive contract with a vendor to establish bus benches at
designated stops and to sell advertising thereon.
Boise will modify this code to place all displays within 1,000 feet of a school under the prevue of the
City of Boise. These benches can be used for Parks promotion (Let’s Move!, other children/family
related activities, etc.), or replaced with non-advertising benches. There are 22 benches (out of 197
total, or around 11%) within 1,000 feet of a school in Boise.
B. Billboard Policy Change
Billboards are more apt to distract a driver, taking their eyes off the road, which creates a less
safe environment in high child-traffic areas.
POSTER PANEL AND BULLETIN PANEL OFF-PREMISE SIGNS (BILLBOARDS)
B.
Design and Location
New signs must comply with the following:
(11) New billboards may not be located within 1,000 feet of the property boundary of any
public or private kindergarten, elementary, middle, junior high or high school.
2. City Wide Healthy Food & Beverage Policy
Healthy food and beverage options in City contracts for concessions, vending and City-initiated events
Discussion: Many city, state and federal entities are beginning to create healthy food environments in line
with the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans by introducing policies and practices to assist employees
and residents in making informed, healthy food and beverage choices whether they are working or playing
on government property. Let’s Move Boise has prioritized healthy foods and beverages on municipal
properties as one of their primary goals to support a livable Boise. By adopting nutritional standards for
food and beverages provided through concessions, vending and City-initiated events, Boise City can make
an impact on community health and potentially even influence the types of foods and beverages available
more broadly to the community by creating greater demand for healthier products.
Concessions
 A minimum percentage of all food and beverage items sold by contracted vendors through City
concessions must meet established nutritional standards (e.g. limitations on calories, fat, sugar and salt
content).
o Begin with a 10% requirement with an incremental increase of 10% per year up to 30% in the
third year of implementation.
o Applies to concessions, mobile food vendors, snack shacks, restaurants or cafes on
municipally owned/operated properties.
 Nutritional standards would be a requirement within the language of all vendor contracts upon
implementation.
Vending Machines
 The same nutritional standards would be required of vendors supplying food and beverage vending on
City-owned facilities.
o Applies to vending machines and vending kiosks in municipally owned/operated facilities,
with the possible exception of employee owned/operated machines.
 “Skins” on beverage machines should reflect products that meet the nutritional standards.
 Recommend that foods and beverages meeting standards be placed at eye level.
 A health warning should be placed on beverage machines stating:
CITY OF BOISE HEALTH WARNING:
Drinking beverages with added sugar(s)
contributes to obesity, diabetes, and tooth decay.

Events
Vendors supplying food at City-initiated events must also meet the nutritional standards (e.g. Fourth of
July Celebration, Movies Under the Stars, etc.)
3. Mobile Farmers Market SNAP benefits match
Discussion: Mobile Farmers Markets give individuals convenient access to fresh, local fruits and
vegetables. To support healthy families and encourage improved nutrition in low-income households,
cities are providing a financial match on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) purchases.
SNAP offers nutrition assistance to millions of eligible, low-income individuals and families and provides
economic benefits to communities. The Boise Farmers Market goes mobile this summer at six locations,
selected by our Parks & Recreation Department and assisted with Boise Parks’ Mobile Rec vans, taking
local fruits and vegetables into low-income neighborhoods. As a Rec Van parks at one of its established
sites and starts engaging neighborhood children, the Mobile Market parks nearby and sets up a produce
stand with fresh local fruits and vegetables grown by Boise Farmers Market vendors. Examples of cities
providing SNAP match on market purchases include: Lawrence (Kansas); Salt Lake City; Seattle; New
York City; Los Angeles; Chicago; and Boston.
After one year of providing a SNAP match in Lawrence, Kansas, they performed an evaluation,
noting the following:
 80% of Market Match participants strongly agreed that Market Match influenced their decision to
shop at the farmers’ market
 62% of Market Match participants strongly agreed that their fruit and vegetable consumption
increased because of Market Match
 Participants spent an average of 54% of their SNAP benefits at the farmers’ market
 83% of vendors surveyed strongly agreed or agreed that there was an increase of SNAP customers
visiting their stand compared to previous years
To assist in the success of the Mobile Market program in its infant stage, I would request we dedicate $1520,000 to go towards a match on SNAP purchases in 2015. The Mobile Market is only offering produce;
therefore, the match will only be for the purchase of local fruits and vegetables. Anyone will be welcome
to shop at the mobile market. They will accept cash and credit cards, but the SNAP match is only for
SNAP purchases.
Total cost to City of Boise: $15-20,000 (City Council Strategic Initiatives Fund)
City match: 1:1 on first $10 of purchase (The national average for SNAP purchases at
farmers markets is about $18)
Example: If someone swiped their EBT card for $20 worth of SNAP benefits, they would
get $20 EBT tokens and $10 SNAP match tokens. They would have $30 to spend at the
market.
Time frame: 2015 pilot only. Assess success late-year 2015 for consideration of
continuing a minimal SNAP match going forward.
Legal review: Legal and Parks can verify authority and best approach for implementation.
4. Health and the Built Environment
Background: It is well known that the built environment can significantly impact the health of a
community. Some examples include; connectivity of the road and pathway network, the location and
design of transportation facilities, the number of destinations within walking and biking distance, impacts
on outdoor air quality, effects of building design on indoor air quality, and integration of qualities that
impact the seven dimensions of well-beingi.
The City of Boise takes health very seriously, as noted in several sections of the Boise Comprehensive
Plan and by a continued focus on parks, green space, and transportation alternatives. Blueprint Boise and
the other ancillary documents such as the Parks Department Comprehensive Plan that support these efforts
reference health impacts, but much has been discovered in the last five years since these documents were
completed.
City processes have begun to recognize health impacts indirectly through our LIV and other initiatives.
Examples include increasing access to higher quality transit services, increasing access to higher quality
walking and biking facilities, increasing access to open space, enhancing our parks system, encouraging
development and redevelopment of walkable centers in our neighborhoods, supporting after school
activities for kids and opportunities for seniors to be more active, building and energy code amendments,
and many more.
Discussion: How can we improve the City of Boise’s focus on health as it relates to the built
environment? As a starting point, Council Members TJ Thomson & Elaine Clegg suggest we explore the
following:
 Get our own house in order –
o Review the sections of Blueprint Boise and ancillary documents that contain or should
contain health policies and incorporate best practices, some of which have been developed
or enhanced since the documents were completed.
o Demonstrate our commitment to understanding health impacts by conducting a rapid
health impact assessment on upcoming CIP projects such as the fire stations and Bown
Library. Utilize the assessment to train staff to develop criteria for projects that should be
subject to health impact-assessments and to conduct future assessments, to sustain our
commitment. Funding for these initial assessments would come from the City Council
Strategic Initiative Fund.

Work with the community to establish health impact in community processes –
o Work with other agencies, especially COMPASS and ACHD, to determine areas such as
COMPASS performance monitoring and ACHD's performance measurements to ensure
that the City of Boise's commitment is reflected in these processes.
o Create a basic checklist that is reviewed on each development or re-zone request, to
assure the health impacts are considered. This may also provide an opportunity to review
impacts on other aspects of sustainability that are reflected in our LIV Initiative. This
checklist would become an aspect of our development review and other processes.
Consider this as a starting point for discussion. This is groundbreaking in some ways, though other
communities have developed health impact assessment processes; few have embedded them into their
everyday business practices.
i https://wellness.ucr.edu/seven_dimensions.html