Hawaii PAN Plan
The first Hawaii Physical Activity and Nutrition Plan (PAN Plan) provides strategies to increase physical activity and improve nutrition in order to reduce overweight, obesity and chronic disease among Hawaii residents. The PAN Plan was created by over 100 contributors representing health insurance carriers, hospitals, community organizations, non-profit organizations, and state and county governments. Since the unveiling of the PAN Plan in late Aug. 2007, a number of its recommended strategies have been implemented including community walkability workshops, the first ever Physical Activity and Nutrition Summit, the DOE Local Wellness Policy, and the unveiling of a Weight Management Toolkit for pediatricians.  

The PAN Plan helps educate the public by providing examples of ways to increase physical activity and improve nutrition in schools, workplaces, healthcare systems, and communities. Since multiple factors contribute to physical inactivity, poor nutrition, and related health conditions such as overweight and obesity, it is essential that  multiple partners work together  to address these issues. Organizations and individuals are invited to view the PAN Plan to identify strategies they can implement. 

The Hawaii Physical Activity and Nutrition Surveillance Report serves as a companion document to the PAN Plan. The report takes an in-depth look at the physical activity and nutrition data currently available in Hawaii.  The report provides information on the various counties, sub-counties, and demographics, such as ethnicity and educational level. The report also shares new data on hospital-related costs attributable to physical inactivity and the potential cost savings of a physically active population.  

The purpose of this report is to accomplish the following: 
·  Provide a comprehensive picture of physical activity and nutrition practices among Hawaii residents 
·  Provide the Hawaii Physical Activity and Nutrition Coalition with a more comprehensive perspective to develop data-driven strategies to improve physical activity and nutrition 
·  Document health disparities in physical activity and nutrition practices and related conditions among Hawaii residents 
·  Identify existing gaps within the data on physical activity and nutrition in Hawaii 

Hawaii PAN Summit
Building Community Capacity- 2007 Physical Activity and Nutrition Summit 
The first Physical Activity and Nutrition Summit, “Good Health: The Ultimate Bottom Line” gathered together representatives from businesses, schools and community agencies to showcase systems of change models and best practices in physical activity and nutrition in Hawaii and in the nation.    

The 2007 Summit featured prominent national speakers as well as local presenters who described their approaches to physical activity and nutrition in the workplace, schools, and the community, discussed the application of Social Marketing principles, provided research to support their interventions and provided toolkits for participants to utilize in their organizations.    

The conference theme “Good Health: The Ultimate Bottom Line” focused on the underlying importance of good health across all aspects of society. By bringing together stakeholders from varying sectors, we identified the current state of physical activity and nutrition in Hawaii; in the workplace, in schools, and across communities.  Participants were provided with an opportunity to form partnerships and to develop strategies to improve the health Hawaii’s people. 

Mark Fenton 
Pre-Summit workshop
The purpose of this workshop was to help developers and planners in Hawaii make the connection between the work they do in the built environment and the public health consequences. A discussion with community leaders, policy makers, and developers was facilitated regarding  what must be done to make the best designs for healthy living financially viable and what help they would need to make this happen.  

The main workshop presentation was given by national walkability consultant, Mark Fenton. Using humor, high energy, and many examples, he presented an overview of how community design impacts health. He used pictures from locations around the state of Hawaii and went through specific design element changes that can facilitate healthy lifestyles. At the end of the slide presentation, a question and answer session was held and the topics of zoning, density, parking, permitting and education were discussed. One of the major issues discussed was that permits are hard to obtain and they take longer when you get the state involved. 

Mark Fenton’s work with Hawaii County/ Workshops, Hawaii County Planning Office
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than half of U.S. adults and two-thirds of U.S. high school students do not achieve the recommended amount of regular physical activity.  As a result, rates of overweight and obese are the highest they have been in the last century. Both the proportion of youth who are overweight and the number of adults who are obese has more than doubled in the last 20 years.

A growing number of studies have shown that these rates are not entirely due to food consumption and inactivity, but due instead to the fact we have engineered physical activity out of our lives.  The design of our communities including neighborhoods, cities, transportation systems, parks, trails and other public recreational facilities affects the ability of people to reach the recommended minutes of physical activity.  In response to these concerns, the Healthy Hawaii Initiative partnered with the Hawaii County Planning Department to take a closer look at community design and planning for the future.    

The Healthy Hawaii Initiative provided the expertise of Mark Fenton, an engineer and nationally recognized expert in walkable communities, to work with the Hawaii County Planning Office as they went through the process of collecting input from residents and creating their Community Development Plans. Through this partnership, Hawaii County Planners, business representatives, county council members and residents attended community meetings held in Kona, Waimea, Puna and Hilo.  At each session participants were provided information on the:

• Role of public health in community design
• Physical inactivity epidemic
• Advantages of having complete streets which includes considerations for all modes of transportation
• Recommendations for creating safe, active living communities

• Community Development Plans will incorporate the concepts of complete streets and appropriate zoning to support connected communities, safe pedestrian and bike friendly paths and multiple modes of transportation
• The need for a Bike/Pedestrian coordinator for the county has been identified and efforts to establish this position are under way
• Raised awareness around the need for mixed use development