142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition

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KidsWalk Coalition: A Partnership for Active Transportation

142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition (November 15 - November 19, 2014): http://www.apha.org/events-and-meetings/annual
Tuesday, November 18, 2014 : 10:50 AM - 11:10 AM

Naomi Doerner, BA, MUP , Bike Easy, New Orleans, LA
Carolyn C. Johnson, PhD , Global Community Health and Behavioral Sciences, Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, New Orleans, LA
Audio (mp3) recording Recorded Presentation (mp4)
Background: This presentation will highlight challenges and opportunities local public health and active transportation advocates faced in New Orleans post-Katrina. KidsWalk Coalition (KWC), a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities grantee, was founded in 2010 as a partnership between the Tulane Prevention Research Center, the City of New Orleans, and local community groups. KWC’s mission is to reverse childhood obesity by promoting physical activity, specifically walking and biking to school, parks, and other neighborhood destination among children and families. The experience working in a changing political landscape and success in creating policy, systems, and environmental changes that support active transportation and equity will be discussed. Three projects and the approaches used to overcome challenges will be examined. Remaining opportunities will also be discussed.

Methods: Community engagement practices that have helped to reshape low-income communities through policy and environmental changes. include: Visioning sessions, community assessments, environmental auditing, and citywide policy and planning-related processes will be examined.

Results: KWC work has led to a Complete Streets policy ordinance, walking and bicycling facilities throughout the city, mapping initiatives to evaluate the pedestrian barriers around schools, and Safe Routes to School infrastructure and non-infrastructure projects.

Conclusions: A diverse coalition is necessary to achieve policy, systems and environmental change when creating healthy communities.

Learning Areas:

Other professions or practice related to public health
Program planning
Public health or related public policy

Learning Objectives:
Describe how the KidsWalk Coalition has successfully navigated through shifting political landscapes to create policy and environmental change within the City of New Orleans, creating a healthier, safer city for children and families.

Keyword(s): Transportation, Built Environment

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I lead the report and the work associated with it as program director for the project. I am an urban planner and have worked to increase opportunities for walking and bicycling through changes to the built and policy environments.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

Back to: 4156.0: Redefining Laissez Le Bon Temps Roule: Enhancing Physical Activity Opportunities in New Orleans