Background and Purpose
Mississippi recently passed shared use legislation that clarifies school liability exposure and promotes community recreational use of public school property. The purpose of this legislation was to promote additional opportunities for physical activity in a state battling a high rate of obesity. This legislation incorporated much of the language from American Heart Association (AHA) and the Center Policy Guidance and was informed by research conducted by Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Active Living Research grantees. Research findings from ALR funded projects were used in the Findings section of the AHA Policy Guidance that informed and shaped the Mississippi legislation. Findings are brief statements of fact that outline the issue being addressed and support the need for the policy. in the AHA Policy Guidance, the rationale to promote community use of school sport/recreation facilities is based on, and referenced to, relevant research on the issues. Research findings on access to recreational resources, the individual and social benefits of physical activity, the community use of school recreational facilities, and other active living issues were included in the policy guidance. The purpose of this presentation is to describe the process where ALR funded research informed AHA Policy Guidance, which in turn shaped Mississippi “shared use” legislation designed to provide additional opportunities for physical activity within the state.
Objectives
Initial interest for the Mississippi “shared use” bill came out of the state collaboration meeting at the Southern Obesity Summit in October 2011. Both Representative Toby Barker and Chip Johnson, mayor of Hernando, MS took a noted interest when the issue of shared use was raised. Rep. Barker eventually became the bill sponsor. The issue of joint/shared use was also written into the Healthy Foods Advisory Council report submitted to the Mississippi State Legislature in 2011 as a way to promote school gardens.
Methods
As Mississippi continues to struggle with the obesity epidemic, research findings derived from the AHA Policy Guidance document supported existing health concerns. Opposition to the bill was minimal. Findings relevant to cost savings to both local governments and schools were most compelling. No post-evaluations have been conducted because the law went into effect July 1, 2012. However, a survey was conducted before the issue was rolled out to help understand the current joint/shared use environment in Mississippi.
Results
The Mississippi Legislature declared that the intent of the act was “to make school property available to community members during non-school hours for recreational activities in order to support active living, reduce obesity, reduce health care costs associated with obesity, increase community safety, maximize community resources, and promote community support for schools.” The legislative intent is based on the Findings made available in the Policy Guidance document, informed by ALR funded research. Issues relevant to the legislative intent were also informed and guided by ALR research studies. Implications for effective integration of research and policy:a. for the researcher: (1) designing studies that address a timely and relevant policy issue, (2) reporting study results in policy relevant and understandable language, (3) forming collaborations with connected individuals and organizations that can disseminate your research, (4) ensuring that the meaning of your research findings is not lost in translation, (5) developing relationships with advocates to inform their efforts in promoting policy change, and (6) maintaining relationships with key collaborators throughout the process.b. for the legal technical assistance provider: (1) determining the range of policy options available, (2) working with stakeholders to find evidence-based policy options that fit to the communities political and legal context, (3) researching existing laws, resolutions, mandates, regulations and rules, to inform about the existing legal landscape; (4) reaching out to key collaborators, (5) sharing lessons learned from work in other jurisdictions, and (6) developing resources including fact sheets, toolkits and training modules to communicate complicated legal issues to a non-legal audience.c. for the AHA Government Relations Director: (1) working on the ground to determine, educate, and promote bill sponsors and supporters (2) identifying, recruiting, and maintaining key partnerships (3) identifying opposition, if necessary and determining strategies and tactics, (4) monitoring and guiding the bill through the legislative process (5) activating the grassroots/Grasstops network, when necessary, to influence and promote the issue, and (6) activating media advocacy and determining appropriate messaging.
Conclusions
The next step is to evaluate both the impact of legislation and educational efforts about the legislation on shared use implementation and physical activity. Evaluation would include measuring outcomes through facility audits, measuring physical activity through direct observation measures such as SOPLAY and SOPARC, and evaluating shared use policies, shared/joint use contracts and program types.
Support / Funding Source
Research identified in this presentation was funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Active Living Research Program. Technical Legal Assistance was funded by the American Heart Association.
