External Resources Directory

Leadership for Healthy Communities, a national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, was created to support local and state leaders nationwide in their efforts to promote healthy, active communities and access to affordable healthy foods. The strategies in this toolkit include promising and evidence-based practices that advance these goals and build upon the work in which policy-makers are already engaged.

This 50-page toolkit is designed to provide local physical activity coordinators, transportation coordinators, and planners with the steps needed to create successful Active Community Environments.

Active Living By Design (ALBD) developed its initial Community Action Model (CAM) and “5P” strategies (Preparation, Promotion, Programs, Policy and Physical Projects) as an evidence-informed framework for increasing active living and healthy eating in communities through comprehensive and integrated strategies. It served as the basis for ALBD’s work with communities and funders as they implemented bold new approaches to create healthier policies and environments.

This report, part of the Gallup-Healthways State of American Well-Being series, examines the active living environment within 48 medium- to large-size metro communities across the U.S. and the associated impact on various aspects of residents’ well-being. Our research shows that active living environments—those communities that invest in bike paths, parks, walkability and public transit—have residents who have better outcomes in key aspects of well-being. Across the communities that we studied nationwide, residents in the five highest active living communities have, on average, significantly lower rates of smoking, obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and depression; and significantly higher rates of exercise, healthy eating, fresh produce consumption, and those thriving in physical well-being as compared to residents in communities with low activeliving infrastructure.

Geoffrey P. Whitfield, PhD, Prabasaj Paul, PhD, Arthur M. Wendel, MD MMWR Surveill Summ 2015;64(No. SS-7) Active transportation, such as by walking or bicycling, is one way that persons can be physically active. Five surveillance systems assess one or more components of active transportation. Among these systems, active transportation was usually more common among men, younger respondents, and minority racial/ethnic groups. Among education groups, the highest prevalence of active transportation was usually among the least or most educated groups, and active transportation tended to be more prevalent in densely populated, urban areas.