Overcoming Obstacles to Health

Report from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to the Commission to Build a Healthier America

Read the Report

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Commission to Build a Healthier America will look beyond the medical care system to investigate how factors such as education, environment, income, housing and personal health choices impact the health of all Americans and ultimately provide better opportunities for Americans in every community to grow up and stay healthy. Even with decades of effort to improve America’s health care system, too many Americans still die earlier than they should, and too many are suffering from conditions that can be prevented.

At the end of this two-year effort, the Commission will recommend viable short- and long-term strategies to help improve the health of all Americans.

Perspectives

LEADERSHIP BLOGS

Timely Moment to Seek Solutions

David R. Williams, Ph.D., Staff
April 21, 2008

Solutions to the complex problem of improving health and reducing health disparities will not be simple, but this is a uniquely opportune time to seek them. Widespread recognition – by business, government, and the general public – that medical care costs must be brought under control creates a sense of urgency. Pervasive concerns about global economic competitiveness add to pressures not only to reduce medical care costs but to have a healthier and thus more economically productive workforce. Read More

Enabling America to Reach its Full Health Potential

Mark McClellan, Co-Chair
February 28, 2008

Improving health by improving education, housing, job opportunities, and neighborhoods sounds like an enormous undertaking. But I am engaged in this Commission because I am convinced, now more than ever, that there are promising solutions that exist out there. Read More

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Stories

Kenyon McGriff

It's easy to be healthy in a nice neighborhood, with tree lined streets, sidewalks, good grocery stores and farmers’ markets – but Kenyon McGriff didn’t grow up in a neighborhood like that. Weighing 270 pounds by the time he was in 10th grade, Kenyon learned that his environment, with all of its fast food restaurants, corner markets, and dimly lit sidewalks, was more of a challenge to his health than he had ever imagined. Meet Kenyon McGriff

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Quiz

Where does the U.S. rank among other industrialized nations on life expectancy at birth?

News And Events

  • LA Times: UCLA Study Links Poor Health to Fast-Food Neighbors

    April 29, 2008

    Higher rates of diabetes and obesity occur in neighborhoods -- regardless of the residents' income, race or ethnicity -- where fast-food restaurants and convenience stores greatly outnumber grocery stores and produce vendors, according to a statewide study released today. Read More

  • USA TODAY: Life Spans Decline in Some U.S. Areas

    April 22, 2008

    While most Americans enjoyed a clear jump in life expectancy from 1960 to 2000, a startling number — especially women — living primarily in the Deep South and in Appalachia actually saw a drop in life spans beginning in 1983, says a study that came out Monday. In sum, where you live makes a difference in how long you can expect to live. Read More

  • JAMA: Group Seeks to Improve Nonmedical Aspects of Health in the United States

    April 16, 2008

    Because a number of factors outside the medical system have considerable effects on health, experts are working to identify non-medical strategies to improve the well-being of those living in the United States. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has launched a national, independent, and nonpartisan group called the Commission to Build a Healthier America to investigate how factors such as education, environment, income, and housing influence personal choices that affect health. Read More

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Resources

  • Overcoming Obstacles to Health

    This RWJF report to the Commission provides evidence describing the current health profile of Americans looking specifically at how income, education, and race and ethnicity play a role in Americans’ health.

    See the report

  • A Short Distance to Large Disparities in Health

    Life span disparities reflect differences in wealth, education and environment across all community residents. The differences are even more dramatic - sometimes double - if you compare black and white residents.

  • National Survey: Health Challenges in the United States

    Findings on perceived health differences in America.

    PDF

More Resources