Oral

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. This panel will highlight model violence prevention approaches, policy implications, and lessons learned from these two place-based initiatives for addressing safety and obesity prevention, particularly as it relates to improving physical activity environments.

Session Objectives: Understand how to work with governmental and community groups to prevent violence prevention and the strategies and technical assistance offered to reducing risk factors, strengthening resilience factors, and changing norms for violence prevention. Assess intermediate crime and violence prevention evaluation indicators and methodology employed in assessing HEAC and CCROPP’s activities to improve physical activity and health eating opportunities through violence prevention strategies. Discuss lessons learned in empowering community residents to sustain and advance initial changes and recreational programs

CE Credits: Medical (CME), Health Education (CHES), Nursing (CNE), Public Health (CPH)