Community Approaches To Improving Children ’s Health: Addressing Childhood Obesity And ACEs In Kentucky

Investing in children’s health is a sound economic decision with a long-term impact on achieving sustainable human, social, and economic development. The Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky’s Investing in Kentucky’s Future initiative was designed as a partnership with local community health coalitions to reduce the risk that today’s children will develop chronic diseases as they grow into adults. Background The Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky is a statewide nonprofit organization working to address the unmet health needs of Kentuckians. In 2012 the foundation launched a six-year, $3 million initiative called Investing in Kentucky’s Future. Under this initiative, the foundation selected seven diverse community health coalitions across Kentucky, based on the commitment of civic leaders to work together to promote the physical and behavioral health and well-being of children by engaging local systems and supporting environments and policies that help children and youth practice healthy behaviors for a lifetime. The coalitions were asked to look at the health needs of their communities’ children and to develop an intervention plan to address one priority health issue. Six health coalitions chose childhood obesity, and one coalition prioritized adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). Childhood Obesity And ACEs In Kentucky The health issues prioritized by the coalitions, through an assessment and prioritization process under planning grants, did not come as a surprise. Ne...
Source: Health Affairs Blog - Category: Health Management Authors: Tags: GrantWatch Public Health ACEs adverse childhood experiences Children chronic disease prevention equity Health Philanthropy Health Promotion and Disease PreventionGW Kentucky Nonmedical Determinants Obesity Prevention resiliency S Source Type: blogs