The COI is a public-private partnership. Its mission is to reduce and prevent childhood obesity through policy, systems, and environmental change. The COI is facilitated by the University of California San Diego Center for Community Health and is funded by the County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA). Established in 2006, the COI engages a diverse group of regional stakeholders with committed public leadership from the County Board of Supervisors and program-level involvement of HHSA staff.

The Childhood Obesity Action Plan (COAP) is the guiding document for COI activities. By offering a reference of environments and policies that support healthy eating and active living, COAP guides the broader community in reducing and preventing childhood obesity in San Diego County. The COI has adopted a Collective Impact model to create, support, and mobilize 200+ partners from multiple domains (i.e., sectors); provide leadership, vision, education, and advocacy; and coordinate and sustain countywide efforts to prevent and reduce childhood obesity. To assure effective implementation of the strategies outlined in the COAP, partners from the following domains collaborate to fulfill the COI mission:

• Government
• Healthcare
• Schools and After-School
• Early Childhood
• Community
• Media
• Business

The COI has established active workgroups in each of these domains to develop, leverage, and replicate best practices and resources throughout San Diego County. Together, they work toward shaping a healthy future for children.

These efforts support the County of San Diego’s comprehensive chronic disease prevention approaches, which are collectively referred to as Healthy Works.

To learn more about the COI, visit the San Diego County Childhood Obesity Initiative web site.

Back to Chronic Disease and Health Equity Unit.

Webpage last updated 9/28/2023.