Community Assessment of Resources in a Low-Income Neighborhood of Brooklyn, NY

A greater percentage of Central Brooklyn residents (versus NYC overall) are obese (27.4% versus 24.2%), report ever having high blood pressure (35.4% versus 27.8%), rate their diet as fair/poor (31.6% versus 28.0%) and do not consume fruits or vegetables (19.2% versus 12.5%).  Diaspora Community Services (DCS) is a nonprofit social support agency serving low-income and immigrant families in Central Brooklyn. To inform the development of future health promotion and disease prevention programs in Brownsville, DCS conducted a community needs assessment. A walk along a prominent street in the Central Brooklyn neighborhood of Brownsville was made to identify resources available to meet the needs of community residents.  A convenience sample of 50 residents responded to survey questions on cleanliness, availability, safety and usefulness of resources within their community. Sixty-five percent of residents answered “no” when asked, “Would you recommend someone to live in your community?" Overall, residents identified two resources (health clinics and gyms) as being most needed in their neighborhood.  Visible presence of these two resources was lacking during the community walk through.  Residents also expressed great dissatisfaction regarding the cleanliness and condition of streets in their neighborhood. There is a lack of quality, community resources related to improving health in the low-income neighborhood of Brownsville.  DCS continues to work closely with community leaders and residents to design and implement intervention programs that will aim to promote healthy lifestyle behaviors in Brownsville.