Community Development Approaches To Improving Public Health

As the rates of chronic diseases, like diabetes, asthma and obesity skyrocket, research is showing that the built environment – the way our cities and towns are developed – contributes to the epidemic rates of these diseases. It is unlikely that those who planned and developed these places envisioned these situations. Public health, community development planning, and other fields influencing the built environment have operated in isolation for much of recent history, with the result being places that public health advocates have labelled, ‘designed for disease’. The sad irony of this is that planning and public health arose together, in response to the need to create health standards, zoning and building codes to combat the infectious diseases that were prevalent in the industrializing cities of late nineteenth and early twentieth century America. In recent years, the dramatic rise in chronic disease rates in cities and towns has begun to bring public health and planning back together to promote development pattern and policies facilitating physical activity and neighbourly interactions as antidotes. In this book, a number of such community development efforts are highlighted, bringing attention to the need to coordinate planning, community development and health policy. This book was originally published as a special issue of Community Development.

In the United States, some populations suffer from far greater disparities in health than others. Those disparities are caused not only by fundamental differences in health status across segments of the population, but also because of inequities in factors that impact health status, so-called determinants of health. Only part of an individual's health status depends on his or her behavior and choice; community-wide problems like poverty, unemployment, poor education, inadequate housing, poor public transportation, interpersonal violence, and decaying neighborhoods also contribute to health inequities, as well as the historic and ongoing interplay of structures, policies, and norms that shape lives. When these factors are not optimal in a community, it does not mean they are intractable: such inequities can be mitigated by social policies that can shape health in powerful ways. Communities in Action: Pathways to Health Equity seeks to delineate the causes of and the solutions to health inequities in the United States. This report focuses on what communities can do to promote health equity, what actions are needed by the many and varied stakeholders that are part of communities or support them, as well as the root causes and structural barriers that need to be overcome.

The anthrax incidents following the 9/11 terrorist attacks put the spotlight on the nation's public health agencies, placing it under an unprecedented scrutiny that added new dimensions to the complex issues considered in this report. The Future of the Public's Health in the 21st Century reaffirms the vision of Healthy People 2010, and outlines a systems approach to assuring the nation's health in practice, research, and policy. This approach focuses on joining the unique resources and perspectives of diverse sectors and entities and challenges these groups to work in a concerted, strategic way to promote and protect the public's health. Focusing on diverse partnerships as the framework for public health, the book discusses: The need for a shift from an individual to a population-based approach in practice, research, policy, and community engagement. The status of the governmental public health infrastructure and what needs to be improved, including its interface with the health care delivery system. The roles nongovernment actors, such as academia, business, local communities and the media can play in creating a healthy nation. Providing an accessible analysis, this book will be important to public health policy-makers and practitioners, business and community leaders, health advocates, educators and journalists.

How do communities protect and improve the health of their populations? Health care is part of the answer but so are environmental protections, social and educational services, adequate nutrition, and a host of other activities. With concern over funding constraints, making sure such activities are efficient and effective is becoming a high priority. Improving Health in the Community explains how population-based performance monitoring programs can help communities point their efforts in the right direction. Within a broad definition of community health, the committee addresses factors surrounding the implementation of performance monitoring and explores the "why" and "how to" of establishing mechanisms to monitor the performance of those who can influence community health. The book offers a policy framework, applies a multidimensional model of the determinants of health, and provides sets of prototype performance indicators for specific health issues. Improving Health in the Community presents an attainable vision of a process that can achieve community-wide health benefits.

Health Promotion: Ideology, Discipline, and Specialism is a thorough examination of the field, advancing clear proposals for its development and future, and is essential reading for those needing an understanding of the theoretical background, historical context, or the challenges that health promotion faces today. Health promotion is a term which has been used varyingly to describe an ideology, a discipline, or a profession, and has subtly different meanings when used in each of these ways. Dr John Kemm presents a nuanced understanding of the complexities of the field, and careful consideration of the theoretical and practical difficulties involved. With the core belief that health promotion has a vital contribution to make to the health of populations, this book is packed with the knowledge and tools necessary to help people contribute in real and practical ways to health promotion. Its timely examination of the strategies and legislation of successive governments in the UK informs the ongoing debate on heath policy. The importance of health education is explored, including a look at the new possibilities that technological developments will bring. From the wealth of examples and cases studies used to illustrate the ethical principles underlying health promotion, to the examination of the concepts of environmental and lifestyle determinants of health, it is a comprehensive look at health promotion and will be a perfect resource for practitioners and students alike.

Igniting the Power of Community: The Role of CBOs and NGOs in Global Public Health introduces readers to the pursuit and potential of community-based organizations and nongovernmental organizations to transform global public health. At a time of unprecedented challenges, economic crises, social inequalities, environmental stressors, emerging health threats, these organizations are initiating and driving change, often being the first to call attention to the issues and increasingly forging significant and sustainable solutions. Through concrete examples, success stories, and cautionary tales from experienced practitioners, Igniting the Power of Community demonstrates why understanding the roles of the diverse organizations of this sector is vital to anyone concerned with improving health and public health today. This forward-thinking book explains how citizen sector organizations work, their immediate and long term impact on public health, and the key players and business dynamics involved. With an emphasis on innovative approaches, it provides an "insiders view" into practical considerations regarding organizational structure, financing, and operations. A sampling of the coverage: The new era of social entrepreneurship and philanthropy Sustainability in international public health NGOs Front-line perspectives from both well-established and grassroots CBOs Faith-based organizations and public health NGOs and the military: evolving relationships in conflict and disaster zones Understanding the environmental health movement and its impact Project YEAH: a youth AIDS organizations story. Whether you are involved in clinical care, health research, public health programs, or policy development and implementation, this book provides key insights and skills, and will serve as an invaluable resource in working most effectively with and within these dynamic organizations. body>