YMCA’s Community Healthy Living Index Tool Drives Action in Harris County, TX

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Communities, parents, and partners in Houston, Texas and throughout the nation are learning to use the YMCA’s Community Healthy Living Index (CHLI) tool in order to bring healthy changes to their community.

According to a Texas YMCA blog, the Texas State Alliance of YMCAs is working to support the implementation of a 2013 state policy (HB 1018) which requires School Health Advisory Councils (SHACs)—parent-led school district level committees—to establish a subcommittee dedicated to improving access to physical activity and fitness in public schools.

As part of the YMCA’s Activate America, Pioneering Healthier Communities (PHC) initiative, between 2012-2013 the YMCA of the Greater Houston area partnered with Houston based non-profit Healthy Living Matters (HLM) to engage 16 different sites (8 neighborhoods & 8 after school programs) across Harris County (40.8% Latino) in CHLI conversations. After using the CHLI tool the 16 sites developed action plans and were then awarded seed grants to build community capacity, improve access to safe places for activity, increase access to healthier foods, improve standards of after school physical activity, provide after school staff with training, and to provide nutrition and physical activity education to parents.

The CHLI tool features a tree-shaped diagram to help community members understand the process of creating sustainable change. The five step process begins with planting the seeds, and continues with nurturing for growth, nourishing a root system, cultivating healthy fruit, and ends with harvesting the rewards.

In efforts to reverse obesity, in 2011, the YMCA of the USA adopted guidelines from the Healthy-Out-Of-School Time Coalition to implement the first ever national nutrition and physical activity guidelines for children grades K-12th attending out of school time programs. YMCAs across the US have since worked to create a healthier out of school time environment for kids and families.

Read more about the CHLI tool to see how your community can partner with the YMCA to bring lasting changes to any of the following settings. Assessments and Improvement Plan Guides  are available in English and in Spanish.

• Afterschool Child Care Site
• Early Childhood Program
• Neighborhood  Settings
• School
• Worksite
• Community-at-Large

View the complete CHLI tools here. Read more about this change here.