Community

Characteristics of communities can influence health in many direct and indirect ways. Neighborhoods can be physically hazardous because of air and chemical pollution, traffic, lack of sidewalks and safe places to exercise, and because of crime. Some neighborhoods have no grocery stores selling fresh produce and other healthy foods, but have a high concentration of liquor stores and billboards promoting liquor and smoking. The presence of role models exhibiting healthy – or unhealthy – behaviors can also affect health. Poor neighborhoods have weaker tax bases to support high-quality public schools and community programs for children, which influence health in multiple ways. Neighborhoods lacking public transportation can limit employment opportunities for low-income individuals. Due to racial and ethnic segregation, African Americans and Hispanics are far more likely to live in unhealthy neighborhoods than Whites of similar levels of income and education (See Race and Ethnicity).

News and Events

  • New York Times : Patterns: In Older Neighborhoods, Less Weight Gain

    August 05, 2008

    Can where you live play a role in how much you weigh? A new study finds that it can, and reports that people who live in older neighborhoods appear less likely to be overweight. Read More

  • AHIP Coverage: Creating the Conditions for Health

    July 31, 2008

    Some factors that play a major role in a population’s health transcend the system itself. A new $5 million project by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, called the Commission to Build a Healthier America, is focused on analyzing and making policy recommendations about factors outside “health care” that affect how long and how well Americans live. Read More

More News and Events

Perspectives

  • Stories

    Teresa Rubio and daughter Ana Baltazar

    Teresa tries to guide her daughter, Ana, toward healthy choices – less bread and burgers, more vegetables. But busy parents can’t be with their children every minute of every day. Meet Teresa Rubio and daughter Ana Baltazar

     

    Malcolm Hamlett

    Malcolm is the sort of teen who makes everything look easy. Star basketball player. Decent grades. Confident and comfortable – whether he’s goofing around with the little ones or surrounded by a group of suits. But that wasn’t always the case. Back in middle school, Malcolm had difficulty opening up with adults and was afraid to try lifting weights. He worried about his appearance and what other kids thought of him. Meet Malcolm Hamlett

     

    More Stories

  • Leadership Blog

    An Unprecedented Reversal

    by Alice M. Rivlin, Co-Chair
    May 22, 2008

    A recent study documents an unprecedented reversal over the past few decades in Americans’ life expectancy. For the first time in nearly a century, rather than increasing, life expectancy for women declined in 180 of the nation’s 3,000-plus counties. Read More

    Building a Healthier America Starts with Healthy Choices in our Neighborhoods

    by Angela Glover Blackwell, Commissioner
    May 21, 2008

    Can Americans be truly healthy in communities overstuffed with fast-food and soda-and-chip corner stores? An important new study says, “Not likely.” Read More

    Timely Moment to Seek Solutions

    by David R. Williams, Ph.D., Staff Director
    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

    More Blogs

Resources

  • Life Expectancy: Where You Live Matters

    In Wake County, home to the state capital of Raleigh, N.C., the average life expectancy is 78.1 years. In Robeson County--just three counties away--life expectancy is 6.6 years less. But early childhood development programs in North Carolina are increasing the chances of living longer and healthier lives.

  • 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

  • Issue Brief: Early Childhood Experiences and Health

    This Commission issue brief investigates how the earliest years of our lives set us on paths leading toward—or away from—good health.

    PDF

  • 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.

More Resources