Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #107318

James Plumb, MD, MPH¹, Dalton Paxman, PhD², Rickie Brawer, MPH¹, and Ciara Stewart, BA¹. (1) Office to Advance Population Health, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, 1015 Chestnut St, Suite 617, Philadelphia, PA 19107, 215-955-6340, James.Plumb@jefferson.edu, (2) Regional Health Administrator, Department of Health & Human Services, 150 Independence Mall West, Office of the Regional Health Administrator, Philadelphia, PA 19101

In the many Philadelphia neighborhoods, physical inactivity and obesity have reached epidemic proportions. In response, and as a component of the STEPS to a Healthier Philadelphia Project, several institutions joined to form the Healthy Environments Collaborative (HEC). Past interventions had focused on individuals, or small groups of individuals through home, neighborhood, school and worksite strategies. These efforts were often single-focused, short-term and non-sustained.

The objective of the HEC was to develop cross- sectoral collaboration to change policies, practices and attitudes that affect opportunities to improve health status and engage in physical activity. Collaborators included “representatives” from STEPS neighborhoods, health, public health, transportation, urban planning, architecture, law enforcement, parks and recreation, government, foundations, and others. The Collaborative provided a mechanism and structure to formerly merge activities that link urban planning and health.

In Year 1, the HEC: 1) identified interventions and gatekeepers that facilitate sustainable change in the built environment; 2) created a learning network to communicate and act across multiple disciplines in order to share expertise; 3) developed a Comprehensive Action Plan that targets financing and infrastructure policy for sustainability of the learning network, creates/retrofits physical environments that support physical activity, and shapes attitudes toward physical activity as part of daily living.

Learning Objectives: