Healthy eating and activity practitioners are increasingly noting that violence is undermining the effectiveness of chronic disease prevention strategies. Prevention Institute has conducted community and academic research to gain an understanding about the relationship between violence and healthy eating and activity and solutions for addressing these complex issues. Additionally, the Institute is coordinating six United States pilot sites in an effort to reduce violence and promote healthy eating and activity in local communities. This work is supported by Kaiser Permanente and the Healthy Eating Active Living Convergence Partnership. Violence negatively affects determinants of health such as where people live and shop, parents not letting their children play outside, and avoiding walking to school or work, which can exacerbate existing illnesses and increase the risk for disease onset. Violence alters the community environment making it less supportive of healthy eating and activity by reducing social cohesion and disincentivising community investments such as healthy food retail. Further, vulnerable populations are disproportionately impacted by high rates of community violence, and this disparity contributes heavily to overall health inequities. Given rising concerns about food- and activity-related chronic disease, this growing recognition of the impact of violence on outcomes presents an opportunity to bring attention to efforts in preventing violence. This presentation provides the unique perspective of a community voice that affirms the growing research base, delineates emerging strategies and the roles for violence prevention and healthy eating and activity practitioners, and highlights opportunities for strategic partnerships between them to create safe and equitable communities.
Background Collisions involving child pedestrians and cyclists represent a large injury burden in Canadians less than 14 years of age. Although motor vehicle collision studies investigating occupants and their injuries are well-established, collisions involving child pedestrians/cyclists have not been reconstructed in this manner. The purpose of this study was to develop a methodology for investigation of child cyclist and pedestrian collisions in order to reconstruct crash events based on data at the scene and medical assessment in hospital, and to discuss potential countermeasures. Methods Children aged 4–15 were included in the study if they were a pedestrian or cyclist involved in a collision with a motor vehicle and as a result, were admitted to the Hospital for Sick Children (HSC) in Toronto, Canada or stayed in the emergency department for over 12 h between 3 July 2007 and 31 October 2008. Crash scene investigations were performed by a collision investigator in collaboration with the Toronto Police Traffic Services Division. Medical trauma data collection was done via the child's medical charts at the HSC. Results Three child pedestrian and one child cyclist versus motor vehicle collisions were successfully reconstructed. Mechanisms of injury were determined. Discussion Investigations of child pedestrian and cyclist versus motor vehicle collisions provide useful insights regarding injury profiles and countermeasures. There were numerous inadequacies in the built-environment which set the stage for these collisions. Focus of countermeasures for prevention of child pedestrian and cyclist injuries should be directed at the built environment.
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