Designing Healthy Communities, Essay Example

Designinghealthycommunities.org is a well-designed website. It was easy to answer the health questions I had about my community because the site features easy to use tabs that break down information into categories such as “health”, “transportation”, and “food”. In addition, the videos are easy to find and its featured articles are well placed. Information about Dr. Jackson was also very easy to find; there is a tab that provides his background information on the top of the page. I learned that he was the chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Environmental Health, served on the Board of Directors of the American Institute of Architects, and has won many awards including the Sedgwick Memorial Medal. He created this TV series and wrote the textbook because he is extremely interested in health and the environment, which likely resulted from his involvement with epidemiology, government health efforts, and history as a teacher.

The last time this website was updated was seemingly at the beginning of May because the front page advertises shows that begin on May 4^th; if the site was regularly maintained, this information would have been gone by now. Although I do feel that the information presented is valid and easy to understand, I don’t feel that it is up to date. If any major changes in the health community have occurred between the beginning of May and now, the website wouldn’t reflect this.

The website offers a lot of information about public health that is related to obesity and chemical poisoning. It does give some information on how public heath can be characterized and measured, such as using BMI to measure obesity. It cites the common hazards that we can be exposed to due to our locations, careers, and environment. The site offers information about the nature of communities based on their setting, wealth, and ethnic makeup. It gives tips and advice on how these communities can improve their health. Although there was a lot of mention about obesity and diet, there weren’t many suggestions on how to exercise properly to become healthier. I believe that the page will be more effective once this information is added.

References

PBS. (2013). Designing Healthy Communities. Retrieved from http://designinghealthycommunities.org/