Built Environment and Health:The Role of One Health Unit

ALPHA, Toronto

February 2, 2007

Presented by Kim Bergeron,

Program Co-ordinator

IntroductionPurpose: To highlight the initiatives within the ChronicDisease & Injury Prevention Department at theHKPR District Health Unit.

These initiatives work through communitypartnerships to create active living communities.

They promote and support physical activityopportunities for residents through the builtenvironment.

HKPR’s Journey

The Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge DistrictHealth Unit (HKPR) has been working to reducechronic disease by changing the environment.

This is our story.

OHHP-Taking Action for Healthy Living

36 programs comprised of 37 communitypartnerships.Collective voice working together to make adifference. The health unit is one partner.Promoting the healthy choice as the easychoice.

Building Healthy Public Policy acrossOntario Through Community Partnerships

(2007) Ontario Heart Health Network

The Evidence Says…..1. Educate Government Officials.2. Promote the benefits of walking and cycling.3. Provide input on land use decisions.4. Consult more with planning departments, developers and key

stakeholders.5. Develop effective partnerships and alliances with key

stakeholders.6. Advocate for mixed land use, accessibility, transportation plans,

affordable and accessible housing, food sources close to home and change in public consciousness.

7. Develop a joint urban planning and public health framework.8. Publish Canadian research on this topic and program successes,

challenges and lessons learned in peer reviewed journals.(Bergeron,

2006)

What a Health Unit Brings• Empirical and epidemiological expertise.• Expertise in human behavioural interventions.• Voice that consistently asks “Will this encourage or discourage healthy growth

and behaviours?”

“Government has an obligation to carefully consider thepopulation’s health in it’s policies and that public health shouldhave an important role in the development of policies about landuse and the built environment” (Perdue et al., 2003, p.563).

Issues to be AddressedEnsure that municipal officials and staff:• Who look after planning, transportation, economic

development, parks and recreation, education, conservation, housing and public safety issues have information about the benefits of healthy active living communities.

• Understand the impact that policy decisions related to environmental regulations, zoning, building and housing codes, and taxation have on the built and social environments.

Work to secure affordable and accessible housing andtransportation services in rural and urban areas.

What is the HKPR District Health Unit doing to develop

partnerships and tools for change?

Working Together to Make a Difference

Developing partnerships is key to success.Partnerships are developed with:

Government OfficialsMunicipal StaffEconomic development services

Business ownersUniversitiesLaw enforcementReal Estate developersEducation and Health professionalsNon-government organizationsResidents

Putting Evidence into Practice: Working with

MunicipalitiesBy: Hosting community forums Submitting deputations Presentation to the Board of Health Municipal Briefing Report Project Physical Activity Assessment of Municipal Parks Conducting community based research studies

Moving Towards a Joint Planning and Public Health Framework

Goals of a Joint Framework• Move towards mixed land use • Long term sustainability • Mass transportation and walking • Urban redevelopment • A viable, functioning public sector

(Northridge & Sclar, 2003, p.119).

Conducting a Research StudyDesigning Active Communities Together

2006/071) To document how one municipality works to increase physical activity by

their planning decisions.

2) To gather data from 80 residents living within this municipality to document how the built environment and the planning decisions have or have not enhanced physical activity behaviours within their subdivision.

3) To develop a checklist and policy recommendations outlining built environment features that encourage physical activity.

4) To share the results of this project with local, regional and provincial stakeholders.

Partnership between Health Unit, Queen’s University and Municipality of Cobourg.

Active Communities Charter

Charter (n) A document issued by a sovereign, legislature, or other authority, creating a public or private corporation, such as a city, college, or bank, and defining its privileges and purposes.

(American Heritage Dictionary,n.d.)

Use as a collective philosophy and shared understanding.Outlines the principals and values to be modeled by of all physical activity programs.

Haliburton: A Community In Action

•

Networking and Sharing

• Fireside Chat’s- University of Ottawa• Ontario Professional Planner’s Institute• Heart Health Resource Centre Symposium• Board of Health Presentation• Queen’s University• Government of Manitoba Diabetes & Chronic

Disease Prevention Unit Conference• Participate in Walk21

Social Determinants of Health Connection

Earlier Work to Build Health Communities

Closing Thoughts1. Developing healthy

communities is a joint responsibility.

2. Strengthen partnerships. Become more involved and encourage municipal staff.

3. Get involved in Municipal Planning. The earlier the health unit can be involved the better.

Thank You!

ReferencesBergeron, K. (2006). Built environment and health: The role of community health professionals.

CHNET-Works! Fireside Chat, University of Ottawa, Community Health Research Unit, June 16.

Northridge, M. E. and Sclar, E. (2003). A joint urban planning and public health framework: contributions to heath impact assessment. American Journal of Public Health, Vol 93 (1), 118-121.

Ontario Heart Health Network. (2007) Building Healthy Public Policy across Ontario Through Community Partnerships. Vol 1.

Perdue, W.C., Gostin, L.O. & Stone, L.A. (2003). Public health and the built environment: historical, empirical, and theoretical foundations for an expanded role. Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics, Vol 31, 557-566.