Influence of Safety and Violence on Healthy Eating and Physical Activity: Key Findings from California Urban and Rural Place-Based Initiatives

Fear for personal safety and violence is a reality in many low-income, low-resource communities and is well documented that victims and witnesses of violence are more likely to have poor diets and be physically inactive. Fear for one's personal safety stems from a wide range of safety issues associated with robberies, assaults, dangerous unleashed dogs, and gang activity, which makes community members feel unsafe, thereby limiting physical activity since they feel safer for themselves and their children to stay indoors. In California, the Healthy Eating Active Communities (HEAC) program and Central California Regional Obesity Prevention Program (CCROPP) are leading efforts in low-income rural and urban communities to improve neighborhood physical activity environments to create safe, accessible places for families to be active through community mobilization and policy change.

As the evaluation lead for the HEAC and CCROPP programs, Samuels & Associates will discuss intermediate crime and violence prevention evaluation indicators and methodology employed in assessing HEAC and CCROPP's activities to improve physical activity and healthy eating opportunities through violence prevention strategies.

In addition, Samuels & Associates will discuss key findings and outcomes from community and parent focus groups, grantee interviews, neighborhood environmental assessments and stakeholder surveys that highlight grantee strategies, challenges faced by communities in addressing violence, and the formation of partnerships needed to achieve safe and healthy communities.