CLF’s Healthy Neighborhoods Study is powered by resident researchers, who play a key role in designing and conducting the study and in sharing it with their neighbors. Cliff Bennett, JoAnn Diaz, and Mela Miles, part of the research team on the ground in Roxbury, discuss what the survey means for their community.
A shared understanding of the challenges created by gentrification help Lynn residents come together and fight for healthy housing.
CLF’s Healthy Neighborhoods Study shows that health goes beyond one’s diet or exercise regime. A healthy community has engaged, active residents who believe they can influence changes in their neighborhood that directly impact their lives. In 2018, our data found that health is linked to social support, housing stability, and even civic engagement and community… Continue reading Researchers Bring the Power of Data Home
We know that where you live matters for your health. Our community partners understand this firsthand because they live it every day. This past summer, the communities that participated in our Healthy Neighborhoods Study – Chelsea, Everett, Lynn, New Bedford, Fall River, Brockton, Roxbury, Dorchester, and Mattapan – turned that research data into action by sharing the results to make a difference where they live.
When Dr. Megan Sandel talks about the connections between health and housing, one patient, in particular, stands out. “I was treating a cute two-year-old who hadn’t outgrown his 12-month clothes,” she says. “I ordered expensive tests and nutritional supplements that had no impact week after week.” Then, all of a sudden, the child started growing. She came… Continue reading Community Investing for Health, Not Just Profit
New England has a housing crisis – and it’s impacting our health. These are the findings of the latest County Health Rankings, a project of the University of Wisconsin and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The study found that housing affordability and quality are major influencers of health here in New England.
Understanding how to build neighborhoods in a way that improves the health of residents is at the heart of the Healthy Neighborhoods Study.
The Healthy Neighborhoods Study examines the relationship between neighborhood change and population health in nine Massachusetts neighborhoods. Baseline data from the survey show that participants believed certain social factors would improve their lives.
A lack of resources on community research design is an impediment to more community-engaged research. This article describes how a consortium of community residents, grassroots community organizations, and academic and public institutions implemented collaborative research design and data analysis processes as part of a participatory action research (PAR) study investigating the relationship between neighborhoods and health in the greater Boston area.
Leilani Mroczkowski is a Community Engagement Coordinator for GreenRoots. I’m always struck by how open people are to sharing their stories. Usually, all you have to do is ask. But what’s more important is to listen. On a hot summer evening this past August, I joined five young researchers in the GreenRoots Environmental Chelsea Organizers… Continue reading Building Stronger Communities from The Ground Up
