[Narrator]

Clearly describe the health barrier or challenge. 

For example, are there too few parks
in the area for physical activity or is there a lack of transportation to health centers
for routine preventative healthcare? In your first sentence, clearly state the public
health issue, describe why and how it affects your community, support your statement with
facts and describe what could happen if the issue is not addressed. Discuss any barriers
for implementation and how the community overcame them. To keep stakeholders engaged, include
facts with emotional hooks or explain how the statistics and information affects individuals
in your community on a daily basis. The reader will want to know the root of the problem and
how it affects the people of the community, both in the short-term and long-term. 

Be careful
of broad, overarching statements, or comparisons that could cause readers to doubt the
importance of the initiative. For example, if you were part of a strategy that created new
bike trails in your community, avoid saying that your accomplishment is solely why obesity
dropped 5%. What you might day is, due to our efforts and those of others, over 2,000 people
in the Latino community will have greater access to bike trails which may help reduce obesity
and other risk factors for diabetes, a particular concern for this population. 

Be precise on
why this initiative is important, the evidence of known causes or consequences, and scientific
supported solutions. If you need examples of how to structure your challenge section or what to
write, right-click the search stories link at the top of the page and open it in a new browser
window. Then search the stories in the library for inspiration.