How Do We Define Healthy Places and Environments?

For many individuals, the term “environment” brings to mind one’s biological surroundings, including issues like pollution and toxins. However, environments exist at multiple levels in one’s life. Home environments are influenced by the presence or absence of parents/children, firearms, nutritious food, and safety devices (e.g., smoke alarms). Workplace environments are influenced by adherence to safety laws/procedures, availability of protective equipment, and management support for work-life balance. Community and neighborhood environments are influenced by availability and proximity of healthy food, transit options, and healthcare providers as well as by the presence of violence and safe areas. City and town environments are influenced their level of air, water, and soil quality. In creating healthy places, public health professionals need to consider all of these environments. At the same time, the field of health communication and marketing continues to develop effective, evidence-based strategies for influencing individuals’ health knowledge, beliefs, and behaviors. By applying these strategies, public health professionals can help to create healthy places and environments at all levels of an individual’s life. In this presentation, we explore the different types of environments that can influence one’s health and how health communication strategies have been (and can be) used to create these healthy places.