Examples of Policies that Promote Heart–Healthy and Stroke–Free Communities for Local Officials

Assess the walkability of your community. If needed, establish walking trails and parks to encourage physical activity

The Saint Louis University Prevention Research Center is helping residents of Missouri's Ozark and Bootheel regions reduce their risk for chronic diseases. With the help of local coordinators, the researchers established and trained 12 community coalitions. The coalitions join businesses, organizations, schools, and medical facilities in promoting health by sponsoring health fairs (which have attracted more than 10,000 school children and their families), health screenings for cholesterol and blood pressure, health education programs, and other activities. Residents have increased their level of physical activity by using one of the 25 coalition–built community walking trails and participating in coalition–sponsored physical activity classes or sports teams. In fact, physical activity was nearly 7% greater among people who had walking trails available than among people in a control community with no trails. The coalitions also helped establish smoke–free policies, and some groups have received grants to introduce new health promotion opportunities.

Through county and local health departments and community health centers, provide programs that prevent risk factors such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, tobacco use, physical inactivity, and poor nutrition

WISEWOMAN (Well–Integrated Screening and Evaluation for Women Across the Nation) projects across the country screen uninsured women for risk factors for heart disease and other chronic diseases, deliver nutrition and physical activity interventions, and provide referrals to medical care as needed. The Connecticut WISEWOMAN project wanted to enroll more uninsured women and encourage greater participation in the lifestyle intervention portion of the project, Stay Healthy for Life. The goal was to ensure that the project was using effective community outreach strategies for enrollment and to identify barriers that prevent women from engaging in heart–healthy lifestyle behavior changes. To achieve this goal, the project conducted focus groups with women in the Connecticut Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program who were eligible for WISEWOMAN services but had chosen not to participate in the program.

Women in the focus groups suggested ways in which the WISEWOMAN staff could improve communication with patients, outreach to health care providers, and attendance in the lifestyle intervention activities. One community health center in Middletown, Connecticut, used the focus group feedback to promote outreach with affiliated health care staff in five satellite sites. As a result of the outreach, the number of enrollees in the WISEWOMAN project increased by 20%–25%.
 

Date last reviewed: 05/12/2006
Content source: Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion