It Starts Here calls attention to extra calories

Did you know that you have to walk about three miles to burn off the calories from one 20-ounce soda? It’s the same for a 23-ounce can of sweetened tea.

And to burn the calories from one 24-ounce frozen, caramel coffee drink, you have to walk about five and a half miles. That’s the distance from Mississippi Street in North Portland to Hawthorne Boulevard in Southeast Portland!

Building public awareness

The It Starts Here Campaign is continuing its public awareness effort to call attention to the extra calories in sugary drinks by adding information on the extra effort that is needed to burn off those calories. Extra calories can add unwanted and unhealthy weight that can lead to serious health problems like obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease and more.

“Nearly one in four children in our schools is overweight or obese," said Lillian Shirley, Director of Multnomah County Health Department. "Many of us are simply not aware that sugary drinks are a large source of empty calories with no nutritional value for kids. We need good information about what options are available to us and to our families.”

Getting the message out

The current effort uses advertising on buses and at the Lloyd Center Mall, along with a series of posters that spell out the distances that have to be covered between familiar places in Multnomah County in order to burn the calories from various sugary drinks.

Posters include:

Three-mile walks from:

• Fremont Bridge to Ross Island Bridge

• Peninsula Park Rose Garden to Rose Garden Arena

• Washington Park Rose Garden to Rose Garden Arena

• Rockwood Library to Downtown Gresham

Five and a half-mile walks: 

• Mississippi Street to Hawthorne Boulevard

• Blue Lake Park to Mt. Hood Community College

The current effort also includes a video of the three-mile walk from the Washington Park Rose Garden to the Rose Garden Arena. The video urges watchers to choose water, low-fat milk or unsweetened tea instead of sugary drinks. 

The campaign will be visable at various locations around the county including Multnomah County Libraries, Portland Parks and Recreation community centers and events, and the Multnomah County Health Department clinics including School-Based Health Centers.

Learn more about sugary drinks and download posters and other materials with our Sugary Drinks Toolkit. 

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