All communities need access to healthy foods and safe places to play and be active—but not all communities enjoy equal access to these vital means of health. We take a systems approach to improving access to healthy foods and opportunities for physical activity—working across a spectrum of issues, from agriculture, education, land use and transportation, to economic development, industry regulation, and safety. We believe health equity should be the core goal in our national efforts to reduce diet- and activity-related chronic disease, and our work strives to understand how communities experiencing inequities can be best supported in the creation of neighborhoods, cities, and regions that foster health. Through a focus on federal policy, along with state and local research, consultation, and capacity building, we promote cross-sector, equity-focused solutions to promote healthy food and activity environments.

Healthy Food & Active Environments > Content Buckets
Healthy Food & Active Environments > Content Buckets
Healthy Food & Active Environments > Content Buckets
Healthy Food & Active Environments > Content Buckets

Boston Lead-Safe Yard Project uses affordable techniques to mitigate exposure to lead in inner-city yards. Now that they have proven that affordable remediation techniques can reduce urban lead exposure, project members are working to ensure these effective lead-safe yard techniques are applied in neighborhoods across the country.

Recognizing the injustice of living in a community with limited food options, residents and activists collaborated with local government officials to lobby for a new supermarket. After five years of tireless efforts and shifting strategies, the community group Partners Through Food successfully convinced a major grocery chain to bring a full-service supermarket into the community.

Prevention Institute developed a Safety in All Policies framework and actionable recommendations to advance community safety and violence prevention in California through a multi-sector public health approach. This work builds on the growing base of research and practice evidence and growing attention to Health in All Policies.

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Slavic Village Development (SVD) is a community development corporation located in Cleveland, Ohio that works with the Broadway neighborhood. With a population consisting of mostly working class, middle to lower income families, Slavic Village Development was faced with the challenge of improving a community that undergoing increasing foreclosures and perceptions of a lack of safety. In 2003, SVD received a grant from the Active Living by Design program to begin an initiative to rebrand Broadway as "a community on the move."

The Safe Routes to School National Partnership is a network of more than 300 nonprofit organizations, government agencies, schools, and professionals working together to advance the Safe Routes to School (SRTS) movement in the United States. Prevention Institute participates in monthly steering committee meetings, providing expertise on health equity and injury and violence prevention.

A Healthy Future for California is a call to action that outlines key priorities and recommendations that California policymakers can use to create a healthier, safer and more equitable state.

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