Authors

Latrice Rollins, Morehouse School of Medicine
Tabia Henry Akintobi, Morehouse School of MedicineFollow
April Hermstad, Dekalb Country Board of HealthFollow
Dexter Cooper, Morehouse School of Medicine
Lisa Goodin, Fulton County Department of Health and Wellness
Jennifer Beane, Fulton County Department of Health and Wellness
Sedessie Spivey, Dekalb County Board of Health
Amy Riedesel, Tanner Medical Center
Olayiwola Taylor, Morehouse School of Medicine
Rodney Lyn, Georgia State UniversityFollow

Community-based Approaches to Reduce Chronic Disease Disparities in Georgia

Abstract

Background: Among underserved and racial/ethnic minority populations in Georgia, there are profound health disparities and a burden of chronic diseases. Such diseases, which are preventable, are influenced by risk factors, including poor nutrition, physical inactivity, lack of quality health care, and tobacco use and exposure. Awardees of the Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health (REACH) and Partnerships to Improve Community Health (PICH) are implementing community-based initiatives using evidence-based, policy, systems, and environmental approaches to reduce racial and ethnic health disparities and the chronic disease burden in underserved urban and rural Georgia communities.

Methods: Within the context of a social ecological framework, the REACH and PICH awardees selected interventions. Their impact in the areas of tobacco use and exposure, chronic disease prevention and management, and nutrition are described.

Results: To date, the interventions of Georgia’s PICH and REACH awardees have reached approximately 805,000 Georgia residents.

Conclusions: By implementing strategies for community-based policy, systems, and environmental improvement, Georgia’s PICH and REACH awardees are reducing tobacco use and exposure; increasing access to healthy foods; and providing chronic disease prevention, risk reduction, and management opportunities for underserved communities in urban and rural Georgia communities. Their efforts to address chronic disease risk factors at various social and ecological levels are contributing to a reduction in racial/ethnic health disparities and the chronic disease burden in Georgia.

First Page

402

Last Page

410

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

Recommended Citation

Rollins, Latrice; Akintobi, Tabia Henry; Hermstad, April; Cooper, Dexter; Goodin, Lisa; Beane, Jennifer; Spivey, Sedessie; Riedesel, Amy; Taylor, Olayiwola; and Lyn, Rodney (2017) "Community-based Approaches to Reduce Chronic Disease Disparities in Georgia," Journal of the Georgia Public Health Association: Vol. 6: No. 4, Article 3.
DOI: 10.21633/jgpha.6.403
Available at: https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/jgpha/vol6/iss4/3