Healthier New Brunswick 2010 Coalitions
working together living healthier

One of the main causes of health problems in the U.S. is obesity and lack of proper nutrition. After tobacco, obesity is the second leading cause of preventable death. A recent survey found that 44% of New Brunswick residents consider themselves overweight. The increase in childhood obesity has caused an alarming surge of Type II diabetes in children.

The first area of intervention for Healthier New Brunswick 2010 focuses on improving lifestyle behaviors by encouraging New Brunswick residents to incorporate healthier eating habits and physical activity into their daily routines. Through the efforts of the Get Fit! Coalition, concentrated nutrition education and exercise promotion will include community walking programs, cultural cooking classes, healthy food activities and community gardening. The coalition is actively seeking funding to support a collaborative project bridging existing nutrition education resources and programs with fitness and recreation resources in the New Brunswick community to address childhood obesity.

Children living in homes where domestic violence exists are by definition not healthy children. This initiative seeks to increase community awareness of domestic violence, to help prevent violence and to provide shelter for those in at-risk situations. In October 2002, during Domestic Violence Awareness Month, education and awareness raising activities were held in New Brunswick, culminating in a community march against domestic violence. The New Brunswick Domestic Violence Awareness Coalition led these activities and is currently working to develop a domestic violence response team in New Brunswick in collaboration with the New Brunswick Police Department.

Children exposed to high levels of lead may develop severe neurological and developmental difficulties. In order to prevent these problems, this project will seek to educate parents about the importance of lead screening for all children, and preventative measures that can be taken if a child is at risk of exposure to lead. The New Brunswick Lead Coalition has provided lead training to more than 50 outreach workers from New Brunswick and the surrounding area and has fostered a collaborative pilot project involving Robert Wood Johnson Medical School students and the Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute in working with families to provide education and training on strategies and preventative measures that will reduce the levels of lead dust and exposure in their homes. The coalition is currently working to coordinate lead data reporting amongst the major hospitals and community health centers in New Brunswick. This information will be useful in conducting community mapping and developing future programming. In addition, the coalition has targeted pediatric physicians in an effort to provide education and materials to assist doctors in following appropriate lead testing procedures, follow-up care and reporting methodology.

2005

Children's Environmental Health Recognition Award

presented to

New Brunswick Lead Coalition

For their commitment to protecting children from environmental risks,

fundamental to making the world a healthier place, now and for future generations.

The Mental Health/Substance Abuse Coalition had its first meeting in February 2003. This group includes more than 30 professional in the fields of mental health and substance abuses prevention and treatment who have already begun to look at existing issues in the New Brunswick/Franklin community. This project will focus on education, the identification of available resources for those with mental health and substance abuse issues and an assessment of existing gaps in services. The coalition recently participated in a focus group as a part of the New Brunswick Community Health Assessment, providing relevant information and advising researchers of the mental health and substance abuse issues in our community.

for more information,
contact Camilla Comer-Carruthers, MPH

Project Director, Healthier New Brunswick 2010
at 732.246.0603 or email ccarruthers@nbtomorrow.org