Tell WHO: I Want Equitable Active Spaces!

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The World Health Organization (WHO) is drafting a global action plan to promote physical activity.

WHO wants your comments on this plan through Sept. 22, 2017.

How can you take advantage of this unique opportunity to speak up for equity in access to active spaces for physical activity for Latino families and communities of color around the world?

Copy and paste the below model comment from our research team at Salud America!

I believe priority should be given to creating safe routes to walk and bike and developing shared use agreements and open use policies that formally share school recreational with the public after class. These initiatives can help Latino children and families living underserved communities access the physical, mental, social, and health benefits of physical activity by improving pedestrian and bicyclist safety and increasing access to safe places for kids and families to play, according to a recent Salud America! research review (https://salud-america.org/issues/healthy-spaces). In order to improve safety of pedestrians, cyclists, and public transport passengers (Proposed Action 2.2), priority also needs to be given to reducing the risk for the most vulnerable road users by race/ethnicity and economic status. When improving safe access to quality public and green open space (Proposed Action 2.3), schools should be addressed because they are often the largest landowner in cities. Green schoolyards, for example, included diverse terrain, natural playgrounds, food gardens, paths and trails, rain water catchment and mechanisms to capture stormwater runoff. They are beautiful and functional spaces open to the public to improve health and overall wellbeing, and they meet many Sustainable Development Goals.

…and email it to gappa@who.int.

Check out WHO’s draft plan and listen to their webinar about the plan.

WHO will publish all comments received on their website.

By The Numbers By The Numbers

1

Supermarket

for every Latino neighborhood, compared to 3 for every non-Latino neighborhood

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