PLACE MATTERS for health in important ways, according to a growing body of research. Differences in neighborhood conditions powerfully predict who is healthy, who is sick, and who lives longer. And because of patterns of residential segregation, these differences are the fundamental causes of health inequities among different racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic groups.

The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies and the South Delta, MS, Place Matters Team are pleased to add to the existing knowledge base with this report, Place Matters for Health in the South Delta: Ensuring Opportunities for Good Health for All, A Report on Health Inequities in the South Delta of Mississippi. The report, supported by a grant from the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) of the National Institutes of Health and written in conjunction with the Center on Human Needs at the Virginia Commonwealth University and the Virginia Network for Geospatial Health Research, provides a comprehensive analysis of the range of social, economic, and environmental conditions in the South Delta and documents their relationship to the health status of the county’s residents.

The study finds that social, economic, and environmental conditions in low-income and non-white neighborhoods make it more difficult for people in these neighborhoods to live healthy lives. The overall pattern in this report – and those of others that the Joint Center has conducted with other PLACE MATTERS communities – suggests that we need to tackle the structures and systems that create and perpetuate inequality to fully close racial and ethnic health gaps. Accordingly, because the Joint Center seeks not only to document these inequities, we are committed to helping remedy them.

Through our PLACE MATTERS initiative, which is generously supported by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, we are working with leaders in 24 communities around the country to identify and address social, economic, and environmental conditions that shape health. We look forward to continuing to work with leaders in the South Delta and other communities to ensure that every child, regardless of their race, ethnicity, or place of residence, can enjoy the opportunity to live a healthy, safe, and productive life.

The report, “Place Matters for Health in Baltimore:  Ensuring Opportunities for Good Health for All,” finds that residents’ place of residence is an important indicator of their health and health risks.  Importantly, because of persistent racial and class segregation, place of residence is an especially important driver of the poorer health outcomes of the city’s non-white and low-income residents.

The report, prepared by the Joint Center and the Baltimore Place Matters team, Equity Matters, Inc., in conjunction with the Center for Human Needs at Virginia Commonwealth University and the Virginia Network for Geospatial Health Research, was supported by a grant from the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) of the National Institutes of Health.   The study provides a comprehensive analysis of the range of social, economic, and environmental conditions in Baltimore—particularly as it relates to the quality of housing and educational opportunities—and documents their relationship to the health status of the city’s residents. 

The study finds that social, economic, and environmental conditions in low-income and non-white neighborhoods make it more difficult for people in these neighborhoods to live healthy lives.  Among the study’s key findings are that life expectancy in Baltimore varies by as much as 30 years depending on the census tract, and that census tracts with the lowest life expectancy tend to have a higher percentage of people of color and low-income residents.  Community-level risk factors, such as poor quality housing and education, are among the factors that predict health inequalities in the city.  Residents in census tracts characterized by a high density of liquor stores, vacant properties, rodent- or insect-infested homes, and lead exposure have an average life expectancy that is six to nine years shorter than residents of census tracts with the lowest rates of these characteristics.  Similarly, residents in areas with a better educational environment—such as a greater percentage of adults with a bachelor’s degree, lower school absenteeism rates, and fewer students scoring below basic proficiency levels—live nearly nine years longer than residents of neighborhoods with poorer educational environments.

Dr. Jermane Bond was commissioned to write the American Journal of Public Health’s “Editor’s Choice” for their October publication. The piece, “Pathways to Optimal Health: A Life Course Framework for Adolescents” discusses the life course perspective (LCP) as an ideal framework for understanding population-level health behaviors and maternal and child health. Glen H. Elder defined the LCP as “a pattern of socially defined, age graded events and roles that is subject to historical changes in culture and social structure.” (Elder GH. Children of the Great Depression: Social Change in Life Experience. 25th ed. Boulder, CO: Westview; 1999.) Dr. Bond believes that we should use the LCP to shape our health goals for adolescents, because the health-related behaviors that we instill in our children in early life can shape stable patterns of future well-being.

PLACE MATTERS for health in important ways, according to a growing body of research.  Differences in neighborhood conditions powerfully predict who is healthy, who is sick, and who lives longer.  And because of patterns of residential segregation, these differences are the fundamental causes of health inequities among different racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic groups.

The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies is pleased to add to the existing knowledge base with this report, Place Matters for Health in Bernalillo County: Ensuring Opportunities for Good Health for All, A Report on Health Inequities in Bernalillo County, New Mexico.  The report, supported by a grant from the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) of the National Institutes of Health and written in conjunction with the Center on Human Needs at the Virginia Commonwealth University and the Virginia Network for Geospatial Health Research, provides a comprehensive analysis of the range of social, economic, and environmental conditions in Bernalillo County and documents their relationship to the health status of the county’s residents.

The study finds that social, economic, and environmental conditions in low-income and non-white neighborhoods make it more difficult for people in these neighborhoods to live healthy lives.

The overall pattern in this report – and those of others that the Joint Center has conducted with other PLACE MATTERS communities – suggests that we need to tackle the structures and systems that create and perpetuate inequality to fully close racial and ethnic health gaps.   Accordingly, because the Joint Center seeks not only to document these inequities, we are committed to helping remedy them.  

Through our PLACE MATTERS initiative, which is generously supported by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, we are working with leaders in 24 communities around the country to identify and address social, economic, and environmental conditions that shape health.  We look forward to continuing to work with leaders in Bernalillo County and other communities to ensure that every child, regardless of their race, ethnicity, or place of residence, can enjoy the opportunity to live a healthy, safe, and productive life.

Our full report is available for download below. English- and Spanish-language executive summaries and an informational brochure are also available.

PLACE MATTERS for health in important ways, according to a growing body of research. Differences in neighborhood conditions powerfully predict who is healthy, who is sick, and who lives longer. And because of patterns of residential segregation, these differences are the fundamental causes of health inequities among different racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic groups.

The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies and Cook County, IL, PLACE MATTERS team are very pleased to add to the existing knowledge base with this report, Place Matters for Health in Cook County: Ensuring Opportunities for Good Health for All. The report, supported by a grant from the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) of the National Institutes of Health and written in conjunction with the Center on Human Needs at the Virginia Commonwealth University and the Virginia Network for Geospatial Health Research, provides a comprehensive analysis of the range of social, economic, and environmental conditions in Cook County and documents their relationship to the health status of the county’s residents.

The study finds that social, economic, and environmental conditions in low-income and non-white neighborhoods make it more difficult for people in these neighborhoods to live healthy lives.

The overall pattern in this report – and those of others that the Joint Center has conducted with other PLACE MATTERS communities – suggests that we need to tackle the structures and systems that create and perpetuate inequality to fully close racial and ethnic health gaps. Accordingly, because the Joint Center seeks not only to document these inequities, we are committed helping remedy them.

The report is available for download below. English-language and Spanish-language versions of our executive summary are also available.

Report, commissioned by the Families USA, the Joint Center Health Policy Institute and other allies, describes the likely impact on African Americans and Latinos of cuts to Medicaid, the program on which millions of low-income Americans rely. It contains state-specific data for blacks and Latinos who rely on Medicaid and suffer from chronic medical conditions such as cancer, diabetes, chronic lung disease and heart disease.

On November 7, 2000, the black vote was critical to the outcome of a number of closely contested elections. What follows is a brief review of some of the available evidence on this subject. In particular, this review focuses on the significance of African American voters' ballot behavior in the elections. It also examines the changing numbers and profile of black candidates for both federal and statewide office, as well as their performance at the polls.

This Publication is Currently Unavailable.

Date Published: 2001
 

This publication discusses the results of an opinion poll on the political views of young African Americans.

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Date Published: 2001

Price: $10.00

This document summarizes a forum convened by the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies on April 11, 2006, in collaboration with the National Policy Alliance (NPA). It is part of a broader Joint Center Never Again effort designed to help ensure that the tragedies that befell Gulf Coast residents, particularly low-income residents and African Americans, in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita never again occur.

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Date Published: April 2006

Price: $5.00

How can online dialogue on controversial issues of race and ethnicity strengthen local coalitions and promote action to address a specific issue?

From Talk to Action is a booklet concerning racial profiling and how to make creative use of online dialogue to foster improved race relations and civic empowerment. The booklet has a dual purpose. First, it is intended as a guide to community leaders who wish to foster dialogue, bolster action and awareness, and create positive solutions in their communities to address racial profiling. Second, the booklet is intended as a summary of a unique effort to demonstrate how online communications can be used to foster civic empowerment. By linking people who otherwise might not come in contact with each other, the technology can help to break down barriers to communication and interaction and thus both debunk negative stereotypes that continue to plague us and generate cooperative efforts to bridge racial and ethnic divisions.

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All prices do NOT include shipping and handling fees. Please see form for more details.

Date Published: April 2002

Price: $10.00