After a Study, Healthy Changes Block by Block
Humboldt Park, a Chicago neighborhood with a high Puerto Rican population, is also the location of a diabetes epidemic, according to researchers from the Sinai Urban Health Institute. Sinai and local community leaders conducted a study from 2000 to 2006 and found that 21 percent of Puerto Ricans in Humboldt Park had diabetes, compared with 4 percent of Mexicans in the same neighborhood and 11 percent of Puerto Ricans in New York City. These results had a significant impact in the community, inspiring community health initiatives that included improved produce selection and availability at local markets and free diabetes screenings at a local health center. “People have been talking about racial and socioeconomic inequities in health forever,” said Ami Shah, a senior epidemiologist at the Sinai institute. “But having these numbers that are personal, relevant, local–people start to react and respond in a new way.” Humboldt Park activists are attempting to address certain issues with a new program called Block by Block. This program involves the 72 blocks of Humboldt Park and offers residents free cooking instruction, support groups, and exercise classes. Researchers have also written the book, “Urban Health: Combating Disparities with Local Data,” which details the key public health findings from eight years of individual interviews in eight diverse Chicago communities. The data show that 40 percent of adults in the North Lawndale neighborhood are smokers, compared with 20 percent nationwide and citywide. In addition, two-thirds of the children in the survey communities were overweight or obese, compared to 25 percent nationwide.
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