title: Neighborhood-Level Interventions to Improve Childhood Opportunity and Lift Children Out of Poverty.
abstract: Population health is associated with the socioeconomic characteristics of neighborhoods. There is considerable scientific and policy interest in community-level interventions to alleviate child poverty. Intergenerational poverty is associated with inequitable access to opportunities. Improving opportunity structures within neighborhoods may contribute to improved child health and development. Neighborhood-level efforts to alleviate poverty for all children require alignment of cross-sector efforts, community engagement, and multifactorial approaches that consider the role of people as well as place. We highlight several accessible tools and strategies that health practitioners can engage to improve regional and local systems that influence child opportunity. The Child Opportunity Index is a population-level surveillance tool to describe community-level resources and inequities in US metropolitan areas. The case studies reviewed outline strategies for creating higher opportunity neighborhoods for pediatricians interested in working across sectors to address the impact of neighborhood opportunity on child health and well-being.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Pediatrics, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Mass. Electronic address: megan.sandel@bmc.org.
authors.forename: Megan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sandel
authors.affiliation: Department of General Pediatrics, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Mass; Boston University's Schools of Social Work and Public Health, Boston, Mass.
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Faugno
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Relations, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, Ohio.
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mingo
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Engagement, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, Ohio.
authors.forename: Jessie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cannon
authors.affiliation: Department of General Pediatrics, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Mass.
authors.forename: Kymberly
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Byrd
authors.affiliation: Heller School of Public Policy, Brandeis University, Waltham, Mass.
authors.forename: Dolores Acevedo
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Garcia
authors.affiliation: Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative, Boston, Mass.
authors.forename: Sheena
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Collier
authors.affiliation: Department of General Pediatrics, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Mass; Department of Epidemiology, University of North Carolina, Gillings School of Global Public Health, Chapel Hill, NC.
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: McClure
authors.affiliation: Department of General Pediatrics, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Mass.
authors.forename: Renée
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Boynton-Jarrett
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003256:Community Participation; D004493:Education; D004651:Employment; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D011203:Poverty; D011204:Poverty Areas; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D014481:United States
keywords: child poverty; collective efficacy; community engagement; equity; neighborhood; opportunity