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Children's Health & the Built Environment

    children playing outsideHealthy community design can benefit children in many important ways. At a time when obesity and diabetes are rising among children, when asthma continues to be highly prevalent, and when conditions such as attention deficit disorder may be on the rise, it is crucial to seek, understand, and implement environmental design solutions that might help with these health challenges.

    School design is one example of how the built environment can influence children’s health. When new schools are built at a long distance from where families live, then children need to be driven to school, depriving them of an opportunity for physical activity and contributing to air pollution and risk for automobile crashes. On the other hand, if schools are located within walking or biking distance of where people live, and if safe routes to school are provided, then children can make walking or biking a part of their daily lives, establishing healthy habits that can last a lifetime. Much is now known about designing and building (or renovating) schools in ways that promote children’s health and school performance, providing plenty of light and fresh air, and using building materials that do not pose hazards to children.

    Parks and green spaces are another example. Research increasingly suggests that children benefit from the opportunity to play outdoors, where they can explore and enjoy natural environments. Planning parks near residential areas -- and making sure that the parks include attractive landscaping, well-designed amenities such as playgrounds and sports facilities, and safe routes leading to and from them -- can be invaluable as part of a strategy of community design that is healthy and nurturing for children.


    For more information about children’s health and the built environment, refer to the following resources:
     

    • Childproofing Our Communities Campaign
      (http://www.childproofing.org/)
      National campaign geared to protect children from exposures to environmental health hazards in schools and other childcare settings. Coordinated by the Center for Health, Environment, and Justice (Falls Church, VA).


    • The Children’s Environmental Health Network
      (http://www.cehn.org/)
      The Children's Environmental Health Network is a national multi-disciplinary organization whose missions are to protect the fetus and the child from environmental health hazards and promote a healthy environment.


    • EPA - Healthy School Environments
      (http://www.epa.gov/schools)
      EPA’s Healthy School Environments Web pages are a gateway to online resources to help facility managers, school administrators, architects, design engineers, school nurses, parents, teachers, and staff address environmental health issues in schools.


    • EPA - Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Tools for Schools
      (http://www.epa.gov/iaq/schools/)
      EPA’s Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Tools for Schools Web site provides specific information on air quality in schools, including tools and techniques for protecting children’s health.


    • EPA’s Office of Children’s Health Protection
      (http://yosemite.epa.gov/ochp/ochpweb.nsf/content/homepage.htm)
      EPA’s Office of Children’s Health Protection addresses a variety of children’s health issues, including issues related to healthy community design.


    • Healthy Child Healthy World
      (http://www.healthychild.org)
      Healthy Child Healthy World is dedicated to protecting the health and well being of children from harmful environmental exposures. Resources include checklists for healthy indoor air quality and articles on home building materials

    • Healthy Schools Network, Inc.
      (http://www.healthyschools.org/)
      Healthy Schools Network, Inc. is a national not-for-profit organization, centered on children's environmental health, and dedicated to assuring every child and school employee an environmentally safe and healthy school through research, information and referral, advocacy, and coalition-building.


    • National Clearinghouse for Educational Facilities (NCEF)
      (http://www.edfacilities.org)
      Professional association focusing on school facilities planning. Web site includes information on healthy school design.


    • National Program for Playground Safety (NPPS)
      (http://www.uni.edu/playground/)
      In 1995, the University of Northern Iowa established NPPS under a grant from CDC. Through its efforts to help address America's playground safety issues, NPPS hopes to see a decline in the nearly 200,000 annual playground-related injuries suffered by America's youth.


    • U.S. Department of Energy “Energy Smart Schools” Program
      (http://www.eere.energy.gov/buildings/energysmartschools/)
      This is the Web site of the U.S. Department of Energy’s “Energy Smart Schools” Program, which promotes environmentally sound and also healthy school design.

    Additional information on children’s health and the built environment as well as other related topics can be found in the Additional Resources section.
     

    Disclaimer: Links to non-federal organizations found at this site are provided solely as a service to our users. These links do not constitute an endorsement of these organizations or their programs by CDC or the federal government, and none should be inferred. CDC is not responsible for the content of the individual organization Web pages found at these links.

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