I. Community Participation
when actors in the community—residents, businesses, state and local government, and other local institutions—work together across multiple sectors, communities have the power to change the narrative and promote health equity through enduring community-driven interventions.
CDC's National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion works to improve health across the lifespan by promoting healthy communities with access to nutritious foods, places to be physically active, and smoke-free public spaces.
Communities are taking action on the factors that shape health. Community assets and resources can be built, leveraged, and modified—such as building community power and nurturing the next generation of leadership—and can create a context in which to foster health equity. For examples of communities across the U.S. that are engaged in such strategies to reduce health inequities(https://www.nap.edu)
So, what is the first step to create a change??? COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT.
What is community development?
Community development is a set of processes or efforts to create community change at the local level through strengthening social ties, increasing awareness of issues affecting the community, and enhancing community member participation in addressing these issues.90–92 With respect to the social determinants of health inequities, this involves bringing together individuals affected by a particular health inequity so they can cultivate a shared group identity and develop a specific set of processes for addressing their common purpose .(cdc.gov)
A good example is Virginia's Plan for Well-Being.
b. Promoting programs within the community so that necessary actions are taken to help address disparities, as the program in Wood County West Virginia elementary school obesity-reduction program.
"West Virginia is a national leader in the campaign for healthier school food. Soda and junk food machines are out of elementary schools. By the end of 2014, the state Office of Child Nutrition had trained cooks from every county to stop reheating processed food and cook from scratch" ( trythiswv.com)
"Seven of West Virginia's poorest counties cooked healthy meals from scratch five days a week, the entire 2011-12 school year. In a statewide pilot project, the number of children eating school breakfast doubled, and the amount of federal funding has jumped 38 percent. Next year, state officials want to expand."
II. Cultural Elements
a.We can see how cultural elements can be changed for the well-being of a society as we see the changes that have been made in West Virginia. For example:
*In 2011, three Parkersburg-area Walmarts and several Foodlands agreed to take candy and movie magazines out of one aisle and substitute fruit and toys that promote healthy activity. "Customers liked it. We had good sales," said Parkersburg Walmart manager Kevin Ohse. "That’s the bottom line.” Now, most West Virginia Walmarts have permission to open healthy checkout aisles. The Cross Lanes Walmart has opened the Charleston area’s first healthy lane.
*Many churches have decided weight reduction and disease prevention are part of their mission. Some, such as Gassaway Baptist Church, build gyms. Others are using the “Walk to Jerusalem” program. Mingo County’s Little Dove Baptist Church adopted the Arthritis Association’s Walk with Ease program for “Fitness and Fellowship,” stretching, then walking around the church building
As we grow, we learn to value these cultural elements. You were not born knowing what you liked in music, clothes, and automobiles. Through enculturation, the process of communicating a group’s culture from generation to generation, you learned what you liked by choosing from among the elements available within your culture (Smith, 1966).
The cultural elements in Wicomico county for me are well defined in terms of culture and ideas, the local government tries to do various activities to involve its citizens, such as every 3rd Friday of each month, the downtown Salisbury host an event. Many local artists set up in gallery spaces in different venues to display and sell their art, photography, and jewelry. However, I see that there is much difference in education, clearly inequality is seen in the schools, many of the schools that have after-school programs it is because some school staff volunteers their time, the government does not finance them. A specific program, Something outstanding in the summer is the meals delivered to the children to not go hungry during that time they are away from school. We can see a strong campaign on the opium crisis, but not on obesity control.
Organizations that can help!!!
The Minority Youth Outreach Program
300 W Carroll St, Salisbury, MD 21801
Lykeshia Jones at (410) 334-3497 or email Lykeshia.jones@maryland.gov
Wicomico County Education Association
1302 Old Ocean City Road,Salisbury, MD 21804
Joan Smith (410) 749-2491
Lower shore vulnerable populations task force
231 WEST MAIN STREET, Salisbury, MD 21801
410.548.7174
Wicomico County Board-Education
2424 Northgate Dr #100, Salisbury, MD 21801
Mr. Nicholas Thompson, Supervisor of Physical Education, Health and Family & Consumer Sciences
Maryland Office of Minority Health and Health Disparities
201 W. Preston Street, Room 500, Baltimore, Maryland 21201
410-767-7117
IV. Action recommendations
a*.Implementing a PTA with diverse members in schools that can advocate for different ethnic groups and minorities.
*Another recommendation is to serve healthier meals in schools, exercise programs, and education for disease prevention.
*Work together with schools, churches, and government to develop programs that help equality in education which helps educate to prevent diseases and to have a healthier lifestyle.
The community can achieve significant changes in the health of its members; the organization is essential to be able to form groups and support programs that can develop initiatives that lead to a healthier society.
We are all influenced and if we see that a group of people begins to exercise in the park and that there is free access to fitness programs, etc., we will start changing our culture and habits.