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Funding Period:
2003–2008
The Steps Program in Boston, Massachusetts
CDC’s Steps Program funds states, cities, and tribal groups to implement
community-based chronic disease prevention programs to reduce the burden of
obesity, diabetes, and asthma by addressing three related risk factors:
physical inactivity, poor nutrition, and tobacco use. Steps-funded programs
are showing what can be done locally in schools, work sites, communities,
and health care settings to promote healthier lifestyles and help people
make long-lasting and sustainable changes that can reduce their risk for
chronic diseases.
Background
The Boston Steps Program is building healthier communities in eight
contiguous city neighborhoods—Chinatown, Dorchester, Hyde Park, Jamaica
Plain, Mattapan, Roxbury, South Boston, and South End. The 25-square-mile
project area includes 58% of Boston’s total population and 70% of the city’s
children and adolescents (under age 18). The project area’s residents, of
whom 20% are immigrants, are 37% non-Hispanic black or African American, 35%
non-Hispanic white, 15% Hispanic or Latino, 7% Asian, and 6% other races or
ethnicities. Programmatic efforts are focused on black or African-American
and Hispanic or Latino populations, which bear the heaviest burden of
chronic diseases in the intervention area.
Spotlight on Success
The Boston Steps Program is involved with schools by supporting a variety
of activities such as Planet Health and the Eat Well Keep Moving curricula.
These programs promote good nutrition and physical activity by providing
professional development training to physical education teachers for
improving curriculum frameworks. Planet Health is being taught in 16 middle
schools, reaching more than 4,000 Boston students. In a year-end survey
conducted after completing the pilot program, educators reported an increase
in students’ and staff members’ knowledge of nutrition and physical
activity, as well as an increase in awareness about the importance of
staying healthy. More than 90% of teachers reported that the curriculum had
a positive impact on both student health and their own health habits.
Furthermore, the teachers reported that they looked forward to implementing
the curriculum annually. Read this success story in The Steps Program in
Action, available at
www.cdc.gov/steps/success_stories/pdf/boston.pdf (PDF-81KB).
Community Partnerships
The Boston Steps partnerships involve stakeholders concerned with chronic
disease prevention and control in Boston’s neighborhoods. More than 100
organizations, along with individual residents, participate through
attendance at quarterly partnership meetings or by joining a consortium
team—Health Care Systems, Healthy Eating, School Health Council, Walkable
Neighborhoods, and Workplace Wellness. Examples of key partners include
Boston Public Schools, community health centers, Boston Main Streets
organizations, grassroots neighborhood groups, faith-based organizations,
community centers, hospitals, universities, tenant associations, pedestrian
advocates, BlueCross BlueShield of Massachusetts, and City of Boston
agencies.
Contact
Boston Steps
Boston Public Health Commission
Telephone: 617-534-5690
www.bphc.org/bostonsteps*
*Links to non-Federal organizations are provided solely as a
service to our users. Links do not constitute an endorsement of any organization
by CDC or the Federal Government, and none should be inferred. The CDC is
not responsible for the content of the individual organization Web pages found
at this link.
One or more documents on this Web page are available in Adobe Acrobat® Format
(PDF).
You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view PDF files on this page.
Page last reviewed: May 2, 2008
Page last modified: July 22, 2008
Content source: Division of Adult and
Community Health, National
Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
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