A Community Compass for a Healthy Start
Children’s health is strongly shaped by the environments in which they grow up. In the project Community Compass for a Healthy Start, a new public–private partnership will work together to estimate to what extent exposure to air pollution and heat in early life affect birth outcomes and child development. The project brings together research institutes, private partners, and a patient advocacy organization to create a practical tool that helps local governments design healthier neighbourhoods.
Every year in the Netherlands, many children grow up in neighbourhoods with relatively high levels of air pollution and extreme heat. These conditions can increase the risk of being born too early or too small and may also affect the pace at which young children develop key early-life skills. As climate change leads to more frequent heatwaves and air pollution remains a persistent problem, it becomes increasingly important to identify where these environmental pressures are greatest for young children and what neighbourhood changes could help mitigate the associated health risks.
In this project, we will estimate to what extent exposure to air pollution and heat before and during pregnancy, and in the first two years of life, influences early health and development. We will combine information on mothers’ and their children’s exposure to air pollution and heat with scientific evidence on how these factors affect birth outcomes and early‑life development. Using these insights, we will simulate the effects of possible neighbourhood improvements, such as reducing traffic or adding more shade, on exposure and estimate how much these changes could benefit children’s health.
The main deliverable of this project is the Community Compass, an interactive and user-friendly tool that shows municipalities which neighbourhood interventions are most likely to have the greatest impact. By providing clear, actionable information, the Community Compass will support local decision-making and help create healthier, more equitable environments for all children.
