Edwin Fonner,
Jr., DrPH
The Neighborhood Health Challenge is a sustainable, innovative, community-driven collaboration that reflects resident priorities for encouraging healthy lifestyles and improving health among the medically underserved and at-risk. The program serves to reduce disparities in health status, develop local peer group supports, and encourage self-reliance. Our program focuses on increasing physical activity, improving diet, and encouraging self-management of chronic diseases. We will use our local block contact programs, health assessments, health education, personal health information management, and incentives to promote lifestyle changes. Indicators from Healthy People 2010 are used to set objectives (see Table 1). References from the U.S. Task Force on Community Preventive Services provide validated intervention models.
The program has five objectives: (1) building community awareness of the benefits of health promotion and disease prevention with an annual Neighborhood Health Challenge, (2) developing block participation by convening social gatherings and sponsoring health promotion activities for residents, (3) fostering ownership of health data with goal setting and collecting personal health information, (4) enhancing local infrastructure by improving our ability to educate, assess health status, manage health information, and recreate, and (5) promoting ties to providers with linkages and opportunities for improving cultural sensitivity.
The cornerstone of community wide participation is an annual Neighborhood Health Challenge spanning all neighborhoods participating in the initiative. This annual meeting spotlights successes and conveys information on family health, aging, self-care, spirituality/holistic health, and other themes of local interest. Incentives and participation awards will be made to groups with high levels of adherence and participation in fitness, nutrition, and other activities. [Back to Main Page]