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National Public Health Week 2006 to Highlight Kids' Health

Posted on: Tuesday, 21 February 2006, 15:00 CST

By Anonymous

ORGANIZERS around the country are beginning to plan activities around this year's National Public Health Week observance, which will focus on children's health and the built environment.

With a theme of "Designing Healthy Communities: Raising Healthy Kids," the week-long event will highlight how buildings, roads, sidewalks and community design affect children's health. APHA and its hundreds of partner organizations around the nation will also use the observance, which takes place April 3-9, to raise public awareness about the built environment and its influence on how children take part in physical activity, what they choose to eat and whether they breathe clean air. Studies have shown that community design - from accessible sidewalks to safe routes to school - can affect the health and habits of children.

"The idea that the built environment affects our quality of health is not new to the public health arena, as is evident in our work for clean air and water as well as safe housing," said APHA Executive Director Georges Benjamin, MD, FACP. "But what is beginning to gain momentum is how community design can help us combat rising childhood obesity rates and encourage physical activity."

A wealth of resources and tools will be available to help participants plan their National Public Health Week events. Among the resources is a tool that organizers can use to evaluate the current state and impact of a community's built environment on children's health. The free tool will be downloadable from the National Public Health Week Web site and can be used to examine how a community's built environment relates to physical activity, injury prevention and asthma rates.

APHA organizers will highlight five blue-ribbon communities whose approach to the built environment has had a positive effect on children's health. The blue-ribbon communities will be highlighted on Monday of the week-long celebration with other theme days to follow. Tuesday will focus on access to fresh food, primary care and healthy housing; Wednesday will highlight opportunities for physical activity; Thursday will raise awareness on kids' safety; and Friday will center on clean air and smoke-free communities.

Via the National Public Health Week Web site, participants can access toolkits, logos, posters as well as materials in Spanish - all at no cost. T-shirts, magnets and other items with the 2006 National Public Health Week theme and logo will be available for purchase. Organizations can also find information on how to become a partner or sponsor of the week.

Highlights of this year's National Public Health Week events will be published in the June/July 2006 issue of The Nation's Health, which will feature more details on the weeklong observance in upcoming issues.

For more information on this year's National Public Health Week, visit or e-mail .

Copyright American Public Health Association Jan/Feb 2006

Source: Nation's Health, The

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