A
PolicyLink Report, November 2002
vailable
online as PDF file [51p.] at:
http://www.policylink.org/pdfs/HealthDisparities.pdf
"....Where
you live can hinder or contribute to good health. This report highlights
policies and practices aimed at reducing health disparities-the higher
incidence of certain diseases and conditions, including asthma, heart disease,
high blood pressure, and infant mortality in low-income communities and
communities of color
........There
is broad consensus that people who live in more socially and economically
deprived communities are in worse health, on average, than those living in
more prosperous areas. While there is little question of the need for access
to affordable and culturally appropriate health care, the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention has estimated that lack of access to care accounts for
only about 10 percent of total mortality in the United States. Much of total
mortality is explained instead by environmental conditions, social and
economic factors, and health behaviors.
This
report explores the relationship between the communities in which people live
and their health. What is it about living in certain communities that leads to
poor health? How do community factors affect health? And what can be done to
strengthen or improve
them? Based on recent research, the report describes what community
characteristics are important to promote or hinder good health and how these
factors influence health.
A
key purpose of this inquiry is to improve policies and practices aimed at
reducing health disparities-the higher incidence of certain diseases and
conditions, including asthma, heart disease, high blood pressure, and infant
mortality in low-income communities and communities of color. This report
presents evidence from research and practice of the key role that neighborhood-and
what are sometimes referred to as "place-based"-factors play in
determining health outcomes. It acknowledges these factors from the
perspective of a "life course approach:" that neighborhood effects
on health are cumulative and happen over time.
The
report also proposes principles and strategies to reduce health disparities
that focus not only on individuals, but also on the neighborhoods and
communities in which people live. The terms "neighborhoods" and
"communities" are primarily geographic references. In this sense,
neighborhood is the relatively small area in which people live, while
community is defined more broadly in recognition of the fact that individuals
and families live, work, and socialize in a wide array of geographic settings:
neighborhood, city, and region....."
Regional
Development and Physical Activity:
Issues
and Strategies for Promoting Health Equity
A
PolicyLink Report, November 2002
Available
online as PDF file [29p.] at:
http://www.policylink.org/pdfs/PhysicalActivity.pdf
"...Where
you live can affect your health. Increasingly, advocates and researchers are
drawing attention to the impact of neighborhood factors on health, and are
working to promote strategies that improve neighborhood conditions. This paper
identifies community-driven approaches that improve neighborhoods so that
residents can lead active, healthy lives..."
This
message from the Pan American Health Organization, PAHO/WHO,
is part of an effort to disseminate information related to Equity, Health
inequality; socioeconomic inequality in health; socioeconomic health
differentials. Gender, Violence, Poverty, Health Economics, Health
Legislation, Ethnicity, Ethics, Information Technology and Virtual libraries, Research
& Science issues. [IKM Area]
PAHO/WHO
Website: http://www.paho.org/English/HDP/
EQUITY
List - Archives - Join/remove: http://listserv.paho.org/Archives/equidad.html
