NPHW Kickoff and Blue Ribbon Communities Release

 

Monday, April 3, 2006

Today marks the kickoff of the annual National Public Health Week. This year, the American Public Health Association (APHA) and our partners dedicate the national observance to showcasing proven solutions that communities can implement to change the built environment and improve children's health. The built environment, which can be defined as any infrastructure with which children come in contact on a daily basis, including homes, schools and businesses, has enormous impact on kids' health. Childhood obesity levels continue to rise because communities lack the sidewalks, bike paths and playgrounds necessary for children to walk to school and play safely. Our heavy reliance on cars has contributed to increased child pedestrian fatalities and higher rates of childhood asthma due to air pollution. In underserved communities, children often live in substandard housing and lack access to primary health care providers and grocery stores offering nutritious fresh foods.

During National Public Health Week 2006, APHA is focusing on a "Designing Healthy Communities: Raising Healthy Kids" campaign. The campaign focuses on helping communities assess the current status of the built environment, determine the impact it has on children's health and identify areas for improvement. NPHW will showcase communities throughout the week that have implemented solutions to address challenges in their built environment.

As part of this year's campaign, APHA is asking its partners to:

  • Encourage communities across the country to use APHA's Pop Quiz to assess the state of their local built environment and identify areas for improvement;
  • Encourage local public health officials to learn about and implement model solutions that have proven successful in communities across the country; and
  • Educate policy-makers about the linkages between children's health and the built environment and about simple policy changes that make it easier to design healthy communities and raise healthier kids.

APHA has highlighted five challenges within the built environment and solutions that create healthier communities and healthier children:

Problem: Lack of sidewalks, safe play places and access to fresh foods contributes to increases in childhood obesity and related diseases like diabetes.

Solution: Ensure that all communities have sidewalks, bike paths and safe places to play so that children can get the physical activity they need to be healthy.

Problem: Poor indoor and outdoor air quality leads to asthma, now the most common chronic childhood disease.

 

Solution: Site new communities where air is cleaner, away from highways and industry. Encourage public transit use to decrease motor vehicle emissions. Improve substandard housing so children are not exposed to indoor allergens that cause asthma.

Problem: At home, at school and outdoors, children are exposed to toxins that can cause serious diseases. For instance, 24 million homes in the United States have lead-based paint hazards, which can have a debilitating effect on children's development.

Solution: Provide resources necessary to clean up toxic homes and schools to eliminate lead, mold and other toxins that poison kids. Pass smoke-free ordinances so children are not exposed to secondhand smoke.



Problem: Many children, especially those living in rural or low-income communities, do not have a nearby doctor or pharmacy to provide them with the care they need.

Solution: Provide incentives to bring or keep primary care providers in all neighborhoods.

Problem: The lack of safe places to walk, bike and play leads to preventable injuries in children. Pedestrian injury is the second-leading cause of injury-related death in kids.

Solution: Build sidewalks, bike paths and safe playgrounds in all communities
so that children can play with less risk of injury.


Blue Ribbon Communities


What's Happening Today

  • NPHW Kickoff Capitol Hill Briefing, Washington, D.C. Oscar-nominated actor Edward Norton will join the event, which will showcase proven solutions that communities can implement to improve the built environment.
  • National Public Health Week Mayoral Proclamation Presentation, Saint Louis, Mo.
  • Marquette County Kids' Town Hall Meeting on Alcohol Abuse, Marquette, Mich.
  • NPHW Health Fair, Saint Louis, Mo.
  • Making the Case for Healthy Schools, Rensselaer, NY
  • UMDNJ-School of Public Health's "Partners in Designing Healthy Communities," Piscataway, NJ

Other events may be accessed at www.nphw.org/calendar/. There is also a list of government agencies, disease organizations, health organizations and other resources available at www.nphw.org/pg_resources.htm.


Take Action Today!

Support Senator Barack Obama's (D-IL) and Representative Hilda Solis' (D-Ca) Healthy PLACES (Priorities for Living Actively in Community Environments) Act of 2006, to be introduced this week.

Take Action: Contact your members of Congress:

Support the funding of comprehensive public health programs, which ensure access to basic primary health services for millions of Americans.

Take Action: Contact your members of Congress:


Resources

National Public Health Week Kids' Pop Quiz

The Built Environment:

APHA would especially like to thank our financial sponsors who helped make this week possible.