In 2016, the Delaware Chapter of the American Planning Association and the Delaware Academy of Medicine/Delaware Public Health Association received a grant from the American Planning Association through its Plan4Health program to combat two determinants of chronic disease—lack of physical activity and lack of access to nutritious foods.
The Delaware Plan4Health initiative and the Delaware Coalition for Healthy Eating and Active Living seeks to change the approach in which comprehensive plans are updated to include considerations for health and equity. Using feedback from the community, the Coalition will create land use, design and policy guidelines for planners and public health professionals seeking to increase access to healthy food and build spaces that encourage physical activity.