Example #1: Defining and Unpacking the Social Determinants of Health and Health Equity–A Culture of Health Webinar The National Academy of Medicine (NAM) held the first webinar in its Culture of Health Webinar Series on November 29, 2018. The National Academies report Communities in Action: Pathways to Health Equity identified nine social determinants of health and how these determinants impact our health and the health of our communities. This example underscores the addressing of built environment/ social determinants of health. The report also defines health equity as the state in which everyone has the opportunity to attain full health potential and no one is disadvantaged from achieving this potential because of social position or any other socially defined circumstance. Read more. Example #2: H.E.A.T. Report: Place and Health - Wyandotte County, Kansas Video: Place & Health - Geopgrahy and the Social Determinants of Health (Liquorlining and the lack of healthy choices). Example #3: Sunset Hills neighborhood donates bench for Lawrence Transit bus stop A new bench has been installed at a Lawrence Transit bus stop thanks to the generosity of the Sunset Hills Neighborhood. Located on 9th Street, next to The Merc, the bench was donated in response to concerns about the lack of seating. This project, completed in collaboration with Lawrence Transit and the Self Engineering Leadership Fellows Program (SELF) at the University of Kansas, highlights the power of community-led solutions to enhance the transit experience. Read More. example #4: enhancing community safety through connected neighborhood design Neighborhood support and cohesion are key protective factors for preventing sexual and other forms of violence, while low support and social isolation increase risk. In Johnson County, Kansas, 844 residents completed a survey measuring how connected they feel to their community on a scale of 1 (never) to 5 (very often). The average score was 2.6, indicating only moderate community connectedness. To strengthen neighborhood support and trust, a violence prevention coalition launched initiatives to boost community connectedness through improvements to the built environment. In one neighborhood, they focused on a central resource library, a large new park, and an elementary school located close together. With support from City Council members, they aimed to increase resident use of these shared spaces by installing engaging wayfinding signage, assessing and improving crosswalks, conducting walking audits, and planning a nature walking path linking the park and the library. These efforts worked to increase usage of these public spaces and increase social connectedness–and likely also supported goals related to increasing physical activity.
