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

Abstract #109243

Valerie N. Rogers, MPH, Environmental Health, National Association of City and County Officials, 1100 17th Street, NW, 2nd Fl, Washington, DC 20036, 202-783-5550, vrogers@naccho.org and Daniel Parker, MSP, GAL, Division of Environmental Health, Florida Department of Health, 4052 Bald Cypress Way, Bin # A-08, 32399-1709, Tallahassee, FL 32399-1709.

Given the increasing awareness of the connections between health outcomes and the built environment, it becomes imperative to assess and alleviate potential health risks associated with proposed development projects or planning/zoning policies. Many local public health officials are taking a greater interest in land-use planning decisions and thus, a greater interest in tools such as community-based environmental health assessments in order to proactively influence related health outcomes. Some agencies have been able to take advantage of opportunities and embark on more formalized partnerships or coalitions, through community-based environmental health assessments. Whether addressing physical activity and trails, traffic calming, or zoning changes, community-based environmental health assessments can be used to take a proactive approach to integrating health considerations into built environment decisions to effectively gauge the health impacts of land-use planning/community design and policy decisions.

Learning Objectives:

• -Identify current community-based environmental health assessment tools currently used in Europe and the United States to address built environment issues.
• -Discuss the applicability of current community-based environmental health assessment models to local public health practice.
• -Describe current local examples of community-based environmental health assessments going on across the United States.

Keywords: Assessments, Environment

Related Web page: www.naccho.org/project84.cfm

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.