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Enlisting a Community to Fight Childhood Obesity
Being black and poor in Washington D.C.'s Ward 8 increases the probability of obesity, particularly in young people. A 2008 Rand health study found that 71.2% of Ward 8 residents were overweight or obese, the highest rate of any Ward in the city. A survey of teens and adults conducted by the Hospital for Sick Children Foundation revealed that awareness of obesity as a health issue in the Ward is very low. The Ward also gets the lowest marks in the city for access to grocery stores, availability of community gardens and little organized community effort to educate residents to consider healthier lifestyles.
What public awareness programs and advocacy efforts will help achieve better health in neighborhoods similar to Ward 8 across America? With a recent grant from the Office of Minority Health, the Summit Health Institute for Research and Education, Inc. (SHIRE) has created a model it believes will be successful in poor communities around the country. SHIRE selected Community Science to assess and document its collaborative approach to prevent childhood obesity in Ward 8; our team is being led by Ricardo Millett and Rebekah King. Community Science will also work with SHIRE to develop a Replication Manual to identify replicable strategies that similar communities could use in combating childhood obesity.
A critical element of Community Science's work will be to listen to community residents, civic, social and professional health care providers, elected official and other key people who serve this community -- and bring together these stakeholders to shape public awareness and public policy action to achieve effective interventions. For more information about the program, email Community Science.
