PSE Change

We support community-driven changes to policy, systems, or environments that will lead to healthier communities for all.

Policy, Systems, and Environmental (PSE) change helps to make healthy choices more accessible and available in the communities in which we live, work, worship, and play. Rather than focusing on changing individual behaviors, PSE change strategies focus on long-term, sustainable changes that address the root causes of negative health outcomes.

Policy change: This can be formal, such as a state law banning smoking in buildings, or informal, such as an organizational policy to provide healthy snacks at meetings. Policy change strategies can include civic engagement, advocacy, and education.

Systems change: This involves adapting and changing the rules and norms within systems to improve community health. This change takes time, and it is a continual process designed to meet the needs of those impacted by these systems. An example of systems change is a company redesigning an existing health intervention to ensure that community members most impacted have a role in decision-making.

Environmental change: These are changes to the physical, economic, or social environment. Environmental changes increase opportunities for healthy behavior within a community. Examples include building accessible and pedestrian-friendly crosswalks or placing fresh fruits and vegetables near the front of local corner stores.