Transcript Promoting healthy and active communities: Medical

Promoting Healthy and
Active Communities:
Medical Students and the
Built Environment
Jan K Carney MD MPH
Lynn Zanardi Blevins MD MPH
Kelly Huynh
Background:
Vermont Integrated
Curriculum (VIC)
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Implemented at the UVM College of
Medicine in fall 2003
Integrates sciences and clinical
medicine
Develops skills for life-long learning
Public health competencies
Project background
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One of 13 public health projects 2004
Group of seven students (second year)
Faculty mentor
2-3 hours/week; 16 weeks
Partnership between university and
community
Timely area of public health
Public Health Projects:
Educational Goals
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Understand the breadth and scope of
public health
Understand current and emerging
public health issues
Understand how public health
interfaces with clinical medicine
Understand and apply public health
research methods
Public Health Projects
Educational Goals
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Understand the role of the community
in improving individuals’ health
Learn practical ways to improve the
health of both individuals and
populations
Be creative and have fun!
For each Public Health
Project:
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1. must address a public health issue
2. must ask and answer a scientific
question
3. must show a public health benefit
Public Health Framework
Healthy People 2010
Overarching goals
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1. increase quality and years of
healthy life
2. eliminate health disparities
Healthy People 2010
Focus Areas
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Access to quality health services
Arthritis
Cancer
Chronic Kidney Disease
Diabetes
Disability
Educational programs
Environmental health
Family planning
Food Safety
Health Communication
Heart Disease and Stroke
HIV
Immunization and Infectious
Diseases
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Injury and violence prevention
Maternal, infant and child health
Medical Product Safety
Mental health
Nutrition and overweight
Occupational health
Oral health
Physical activity
Public Health Infrastructure
Respiratory Diseases
Substance abuse
Tobacco
Vision and Hearing
2004 Public Health
Projects : HP 2010 areas
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Access to Quality Health Services
Health Communication
Environmental Health
Diabetes
Immunizations and infectious disease
Nutrition/Physical Activity
Mental Health
Promoting Healthy and
Active Communities: goals
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Educate medical students about the
environment and health
Engage community planners
Share and promote best practices to
promote healthy and active Vermont
communities
Chittenden County, VT:
Project Communities
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Burlington
Williston
Winooski
Burlington, Vermont
Williston, Vermont
Project methods:
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Literature review
CDC, NIEHS
Development of questionnaire
Recruitment of local communities
“promote the positive” strategy to
engage community planners
Project methods (cont’)
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3 towns in VT’s largest county
Various development stages
Interview of town planners
Pre-interview questionnaire
Questionnaire
Identify and share “best practices”
Pre-interview
Questionnaire:
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Population
% residents with stores and recreation
within ½ mile radius of homes
% land for mixed use neighborhoods
Public spaces for physical activity (%
or acres)
% budget for parks and recreation
Pre-interview
questionnaire (cont’-2)
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% streets with sidewalks (residential)
% streets with sidewalks (commercial
and mixed use)
Estimate of miles of bike path
Documents or references used in
planning to promote physical activity
Questionnaire
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Introduction, summary, what town will
receive from project, timeline
Definition of “built environment’
Current infrastructure
Future development
Goal to identify “best practices”
Questionnaire (cont’-2)
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Collaboration with health professionals
in town planning?
Town provides information to residents
on public spaces for physical activity?
Recreation classes and programs?
Accessible?
Questionnaire (cont-3)
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Guidelines for aesthetically pleasing
elements to encourage activity?
Does town plan identify natural
resources?
Requirement for sidewalks in new
residential areas?
Traffic calming measures in public
recreation areas?
Questionnaire (cont’-4)
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Traffic signals pedestrian-controlled?
Bypass of dangerous
roads/intersections?
Bicycle parking?
School crossing guards?
Practices to increase safety in public
recreation areas?
Questionnaire (cont’-5)
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Education – signs to promote stairs?
Community outreach to promote
physical activity?
Planning new recreation areas?
3 top practices to promote physical
activity?
Questionnaire (cont’-6)
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Town “Observations”
– Student visits to best town assets
– Photos
– Descriptions
Promoting Healthy and
Active VT Communities:
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Progress to date
Preliminary findings
Timeline and format for sharing “best
practices”
Summary paper
Poster presentation
Future directions
Questions ?
Comments? Suggestions?
Jan K Carney, MD MPH,
Associate Dean for Public
Health,
University of Vermont
College of Medicine
371 Pearl St, Burlington VT 05401
(802) 847-8268
[email protected]