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

Abstract #110338

Leslie Mikkelsen, MPH, RD and Larry Cohen, MSW. Prevention Institute, 265 29th Street, Oakland, CA 94611, 510-444-7738, leslie@preventioninstitute.org

With funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Prevention Institute compiled 11 community profiles highlighting neighborhood changes in the built environment that may promote better health outcomes. This presentation will focus on these and the implications of decisions about zoning, transportation, and land use on community health planning.

Community design influences the distances people travel to work, the convenience of purchasing healthy foods, and the safety and attractiveness of neighborhoods for walking. These environmental conditions in turn influence chronic disease rates such as those associated with diabetes and asthma. These health implications call for public health to be a strong ally in ensuring that decisions about neighborhood design are made with attention to health impacts. It is equally important for public health to promote neighborhood-level successes in altering elements of the built environment for community planning and policy.

This session will present neighborhood successes, focusing on interventions that have occurred in low-income communities and are most likely to contribute to reducing health disparities in the US. The neighborhood profiles assess the 1) description of the geographic area and the specific changes that were made; 2) the process required to implement the changes including leadership and organizational collaboration; 3) any documented impacts (positive and negative); and 4) lessons learned. The profiles consider seven key aspects of the built environment that are central to promoting health outcomes including activity- and nutrition-promoting environments, housing, transportation, environmental quality, product availability, and appearance/ambiance.

Learning Objectives:

• 1) Learn about the influence of the built environment on health and health behaviors
• 2) Identify potential opportunities and challenges in changing the built environment with implications for community planning and policy
• 3) Gain tools and frameworks to apply built environment strategies to influence health and health behaviors in communities

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.