Community Healthy Living Index

To help reverse the trend in weight related illnesses, Tri-Town YMCA, in partnership with the FORWARD Initiative and YMCAs throughout DuPage County, convened an assessment process to measure support for physical activity and healthy eating using a new tool—the Community Healthy Living Index (CHLI).  Funding was provided through the support of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, JR Albert Foundation, and Central DuPage Hospital.

CHLI enables community leaders to assess environments at the neighborhood and community levels, including schools, afterschool child care programs, and work sites.  

Developed by YMCA of the USA with researchers from Stanford University, Harvard University, and St. Louis University, the CHLI incorporated a review of over one hundred existing assessment tools, input from a prestigious advisory task force, a reiterative review process, and pilot testing. Following the assessment, the accompanying CHLI materials aid schools, afterschool child care programs, businesses, and neighborhood/community groups in planning for policy and environmental change strategies aimed at identifying and removing barriers and expanding opportunities for healthy living.

Going beyond events and programs to create change at the policy and environment level is what makes the goal of CHLI unique.  Policy level change requires the hard work and dedication of key decision makers across all sectors of our community.