If we build it, we will come: A model for community-led change to transform neighborhood conditions to support healthy eating and active living

V.R. Gavin, E.L. Seeholzer, J.B. Leon, S.B. Chappelle and A.R. Sehgal

American Journal of Public Health, 2015, vol. 105, issue 6, 1072-1077

Abstract: Neighborhoods affect health. In 3 adjoining inner-city Cleveland, Ohio, neighborhoods, residents have an average life expectancy 15 years less than that of a nearby suburb. To address this disparity, a local health funder created the 2010 to 2013 Francis H. Beam Community Health Fellowship to develop a strategic community engagement process to establish a Healthy Eating & Active Living (HEAL) culture and lifestyle in the neighborhoods. The fellow developed and advanced a model, engaging the community in establishing HEAL options and culture. Residents used the model to identify a shared vision for HEAL and collaborated with community partners to create and sustain innovative HEAL opportunities. This community-led, collaborative model produced high engagement levels (15% of targeted 12 000 residents) and tangible improvements in the neighborhood's physical, resource, and social environments. © 2015, American Public Health Association Inc. All rights reserved.

Keywords: city; community care; consumer; cultural anthropology; demography; diet; environmental planning; female; financial management; health behavior; health disparity; health promotion; human; male; motor activity; nonbiological model; organization and management; poverty; program development; program evaluation; statistics and numerical data; United States, Cities; Community Networks; Consumer Participation; Culture; Diet; Environment Design; Female; Financing, Organized; Health Behavior; Health Promotion; Health Status Disparities; Humans; Male; Models, Organizational; Motor Activity; Ohio; Poverty Areas; Program Development; Program Evaluation; Residence Characteristics (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2015
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Downloads: (external link)
http://hdl.handle.net/10.2105/AJPH.2015.302599

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:aph:ajpbhl:10.2105/ajph.2015.302599_2

DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2015.302599

Access Statistics for this article

American Journal of Public Health is currently edited by Alfredo Morabia

More articles in American Journal of Public Health from American Public Health Association
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Christopher F Baum ().