Quality housing is essential for health and well-being. As the public health community has broadened its understanding and recognition of the social determinants of health (SDOH), affordable housing has become a top priority to advance health equity. However, despite emerging tools for this effort, improving healthy, affordable housing is often a new role for health […]
At America Walks, we know that the benefits of walking extend well beyond health. Everything from familial relationships and community engagement to local economies and environments improve when communities are walkable. America Walks has supported local walking champions for twenty years, helping to create safe, accessible, and enjoyable places to walk and be physically active […]
There are several definitions of “health equity,” but most would agree with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) definition, which states that “Health equity is achieved when every person has the opportunity to ‘attain his or her full health potential’ and no one is ‘disadvantaged from achieving this potential because of social position […]
Everyone should have the opportunity to walk, bike, and be physically active in their community. When we talk about barriers to walking and biking, we often think about elements of the physical environment that make walking and biking dangerous, like speeding cars, missing sidewalks and bike paths, and unsafe street crossings. There are also other […]
The US Surgeon General’s 2015 report Step It Up! The Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Promote Walking and Walkable Communities notes that just 22 minutes a day of physical activity such as brisk walking may improve your health. The report goes on to recommend creating desirable destinations, such as parks, that are close to […]
In September 2015, United States Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy launched Step It Up! The Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Promote Walking and Walkable Communities. The Call to Action urges Americans to be more physically active through walking or rolling to the best of their abilities and for communities from across the US to […]
When explaining the power of community engagement to reveal and address the invisible causes of health inequities, I draw on my Chinese-American culture and use the metaphor of a bowl. We use the bowl to eat and drink as well as to scoop things. On our wedding day, we use the bowl to offer respect […]
I recently had the opportunity to listen in on a presentation by religious scholar and author Andrew Harvey. In his presentation, he shared a quote that resonated with me. He said, “Light comes through many different colored windows, but it is always the same light.” As I reflected on the role that community context plays […]
At one time or another, almost all of us pledge to be healthier. Eat better, exercise regularly or sleep more. But as we all know, sustaining these efforts over the long-term can prove challenging. At the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), we’ve made our own pledge: to build a Culture of Health in America so […]
Reflections from Voices for Healthy Kids As advocates, each year we look with hope for new statistics that may show us more signs of progress in the obesity epidemic. Some good news came in the latest State of Obesity report—rates have remained stable among girls, regardless of race or ethnicity. Unfortunately, rates continued to increase […]