Healthy cities: the Indiana model of community development in public health

While the Institute of Medicine's Report on The Future of Public Health provokes debate on public health issues in the United States, the Healthy Cities movement is one approach to addressing many of these issues. Healthy Cities Indiana began in 1988 and adapts the European and Canadian healthy cities experience within the sociopolitical context of Indiana and the United States. Six Indiana cities are collaborating with Indiana University School of Nursing and the Indiana Public Health Association in a process of urban health promotion. The overall healthy cities process is presented including: city commitment, formation of healthy city committee, community leadership development, city action, provision of data-based information to policy makers, and action research and evaluation. Each step in the healthy cities process is described, highlighting examples from the Indiana experience, including an analysis of selected data describing the cities. The facilitators of a healthy city provide support to city leaders in other cities interested in becoming involved in the healthy cities process. Implications of healthy cities for health educators and other health professionals are suggested.