Tuesday April 4, 2006


 

 

Newsletter -- Surrounding Our Kids with Equal Opportunities

 

 

 

The built environment can limit the access of children living in low-income areas, both urban and rural, to equal opportunities for growing up healthy. Designing communities so that all children have access to fresh food, primary health care, and safe housing is vital to improving children's long-term health.

 

Overall, there are fewer supermarkets located in low-income communities than in middle-class neighborhoods or more affluent areas. A 1995 study of grocery stores in 21 metropolitan areas in the United States found nearly one-third fewer supermarkets in low-income areas than in higher-income areas. Low-income areas are more likely to be served by small convenience stores, liquor stores and fast food restaurants where the selection and quality of fresh foods are poor.

 

Many urban and low-income communities lack nearby grocery stores with a good selection of healthy, fresh foods. If this is a problem in your community, consider planning a community grocery shopping event. Residents can gather and visit the nearest local store together, inventory the fresh food selection and create a "shopping list" of the healthy foods that are not available. Residents can then deliver the shopping lists and/or grocery bags full of unhealthy food to city hall in order to highlight the need for a community solution to a lack of healthy food options.        

 

What's Happening Today

 

 

  • Family Resource Fair and Fun Night, Estherville, Iowa
  • Walk on Weimer, Taos, N.M.
  • Southern California Public Health Association NPHW Recognition Luncheon, Carson, Calif.
  • Lead Poisoning: Is There a Threshold Level?, Cleveland, Ohio
  • Exercise for Seniors, Brookline, Mass.
  • Annual Public Health Walk 2006, Olympia, Wash.
  • Environmental Triggers of Asthma, Providence, R.I.
  • Taking the Pulse of Medicare and Medicaid, Des Moines, Iowa
  • Surrounding Our Children with Equal Opportunities, Atlanta, Ga.

 

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/06-resources.htm.

 

National Public Health Week in the News

 

The Celebrity Cup Runneth Over, Washington Post, April 4, 2006
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
  
Guest Essay: We Can Strengthen Health in Community, Public Opinion, April 4, 2006
http://www.publicopiniononline.com/
 
Organizers Want Kids to Hit Trail, Times Leader, April 4, 2006
http://www.timesleader.com/mld/timesleader/living/14257784.htm
 
 
Toward a Healthier Louisville, Louisville Courier-Journal, April 3, 2006
http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/

 

Link to Kaiser Family Foundation Webcast of NPHW Capitol Hill Kickoff Event

http://www.kaisernetwork.org/healthcast/apha/03apr06

 

Take Action Today!

Tuesday: ACCESS: Surrounding Our Kids with Equal Opportunities


FEDERAL POLICIES:

  • Support S. 1513, Senator Barbara Mikulski's (D-MD) Reauthorization of the HOPE VI program, which replaces severely distressed public housing projects, occupied exclusively by poor families, with redesigned mixed-income housing and provides housing vouchers to enable some of the original residents to rent apartments in the private market.       

    Take Action Now

  • Support H.R. 4609 the High Performance Buildings Act, introduced by Representative Adam Smith (D-WA), which (1) requires that state and local housing strategies include a description of the jurisdiction's plans to encourage sustainable development for affordable housing, (2) creates a grant program for nonprofit organizations to improve energy efficiency, resource conservation and effective use of existing infrastructure in affordable housing and economic development activities in low-income communities and (3) establishes within the National Science Foundation a Sustainable Building Institute to undertake or support programs in states and communities through providing grants, loans, or other research.    
    Take Action
  • Support H.R.2763, Representative Lois Capps's (D-CA) Student Nutrition and Health Act, which creates a grant program to fund local educational agencies to purchase or lease vending machines that offer healthy foods or beverages in recommended portion sizes to place in schools.   
    Take Action Now       

 

Resources

Children's Health:

 

During National Public Health Week 2006, the American Public Health Association (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.

 

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