by Justin B. Moore, PhD, MS

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The July/August issue of the Journal of Public Health Management and Practice (JPHMP) includes a number of articles focused on obesity prevention and active living. Marissa Zwald and colleagues present a thorough examination of the role of elected and appointed local officials in transportation policy and planning decisions in “Understanding Municipal Officials’ Involvement in Transportation Policies Supportive of Walking and Bicycling.” Their findings led them to conclude that “Facilitating municipal collaboration and involvement in local transportation policy should be a priority in planning efforts related to active transportation.” In a commentary highlighting another type of non-traditional partnership for the promotion of active living, Sarah Messiah and her co-authors present an argument and framework for engaging pediatricians in efforts to connect families to parks and other community resources supportive of physical activity in “Reducing Childhood Obesity Through Pediatrician and Park Partnerships.” Finally, my colleagues and I present evidence to support the return on investment associated with granting local communities funds to promote physical activity opportunities for children in “Cost-effectiveness of Community-Based Minigrants to Increase Physical Activity in Youth.”

Concurrent with the July/August issue, we have published a supplement on community health assessment led by guest editors James Burdine and Lillian Smith. As many JPHMP readers will know, community health assessments became significantly more common following their requirement in the Affordable Care Act, with important results highlighted by Thomas Bias and colleagues in this supplement. In this supplement, Cara Pennel and her collaborators do an excellent job of highlighting similar and necessary components of planning models for community health assessments. Finally, I would like to draw your attention to a wonderful commentary by Julie Trocchio where she shares the compelling story of “The Role of 2 Boston Journals in Shaping Today’s Community Benefit Programs.” These articles and many others are freely available as part of this important and informative supplement.

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Justin B. Moore, PhD, MS is the Associate Editor of the Journal of Public Health Management & Practice and an Associate Professor in the Department of Family & Community Medicine of the Wake Forest School of Medicine at the Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, NC, USA. Follow him at Twitter and Instagram. [Full Bio]