On May 6th, Mayor Adrian M. Fenty and Department of Health’s Director, Dr. Pierre Vigilance, unveiled the first-ever Obesity Report and Obesity Action Plan for the District of Columbia. The report lays the landscape of obesity in the District and details the multifaceted issues surrounding the epidemic that affects 35 percent of children and 55 percent of adults. Among health behavior change researchers, the prevention and treatment of obesity requires an ecological model that analyzes the influences on an individual, social and cultural and environmental level. Mirroring such theory, Obesity in the District of Columbia assessed a plethora of health behaviors in all eight of the city’s wards, detailing obesity rates, income, diet and nutrition. Moreover, the report analyzed gender, race, crime, access to and types of food options, and demographic information. Providing the statistics on youth, data was pulled from the Youth Behavior Risk Survey (YBRS) and Advisory Neighborhood Council (ANC). Key insights from the report pertaining to food include:
Obesity in the District of Columbia
• Wards two and three had the most grocery stores, organic food and farmers markets, and also had the lowest rates of obesity
• Ward eight had the fewest healthy food options and had the highest rate of obesity
• For high school youth, rates of physical activity as well as fruit and vegetable consumption decreased over a five year period from 2003-2007
• The environment of unhealthy food thwarts good nutrition standards in schools (more...)
Roughly 
