I recently listened to a podcast by Dr. Asha Shajahan, MD. from Beaumont hospital discussing the idea of zip codes dictating how long you live. Within one zip codes you can live up to 25 years less than if you had a different zip code. In some places you can have 3 times the likelihood of having a heart attack than another neighborhood. I had always assumed that factors that determined your health were more on the end of what kind of health care you received. In the podcast, Dr. Shajahan breaks up the health makeup factors: physical environment (such as pollutants) 10%, biology and genetics 15%, healthcare 25%, social determinants (transportation, food access, zip code, schools) 50%. Social determinants made up 50% of health makeup factors. This means that a majority of what makes up health disparities in the US is preventable. 

Listening to this podcast led me to think about my own experiences. Growing up in the West Village and going to LREI, I have always had access to healthy food options. There are many grocery stores all around my neighborhood, and my family was fortunate enough to afford the time and money not to have to rely on fast food alternatives. From early kindergarten, LREI offers dance classes, PE classes, as well as many after school programs and sports teams. I have been privileged enough to never even need to think about these privileges and how they are contributing to my health.

Healthcare is everywhere. There are everyday obstacles preventing children from living healthy lives everyday. Depending on a child’s situation, they can be exposed to parental absence, high stress environments, bad living conditions (eg. dust mites, unsafe water), obesity (unhealthy meals, food desserts), less exercise (no gym programs in schools or parks unsafe to play in). Transportation can also be a large factor in health; 3.2 million children missed or didn’t schedule health visits because of transportation (perhaps they didn’t feel safe, or they didn’t have access). We need to stop thinking about healthcare as something to repair, but as something we can prevent. We can be proactive about community health though investing in not only healthcare, but in our neighborhoods.