Building resilient communities requires a focus on nutrition and fitness. The sustainability of health care systems depends on people having adequate nutrition, but also access to legacy and local foods that have sustained people through the ages. The ability to prepare a meal is a form of resilience and is becoming a dying art in developed countries. The use of language in food advertising has advocated value and convenience over nutrition and health.
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The health and quality of life are related. And the tendency to "save" time in a rush life style (especially in developped countries) on the cost of health (fast foods or little physical work - the progress of technology helps in it as well!) seems to be a "normality" in every-day practice...
I'm not sure what definition or understanding of resilience underpins your comments, but to suggest that 'resilient' communities simply 'require a focus on nutrition and fitness' seems to me to be taking a very complex issue and suggesting a 'simple solution' in a way that smacks more of propoganda viz a viz the advertising and prepared food industries than a really meaningful comment about the subject of resilience.
Resilience in the health context to which I asked my question, is the ability for vulnerable people to use resources (healthy foods, coping, social supports, spiritual guidance, etc) to adapt successfully to chronic and acute health crises. Since diabetes and heart disease require vast resources from the health delivery system, the identification of resilient traits in patients would do much to maintain the sustainability of our evolving healthcare systems. In my nutrition practice, many patients have a chronic illness where their diet is a major therapeutic component. Resilience in my practice is the ability to purchase appropriate foods, prepare them, and become more active.. Less resilient patients have lost the ability to prepare their own foods, do not have the family or community support, or are not willing to learn. Patients with resilience find ways around perceived health barriers to achieve control over their disease. This may involve having access to vendors with healthy foods, and opportunities for physical rehab. What I am proposing is the living in a resilient community speeds recovery when a health crisis occurs, and ultimately will help sustain our overburdened health systems. I live in Sandy Hook, CT. Over the past 6 weeks I have seen tremendous community support. Organizations stepped forward to help the families on day one. Our local youth association housed the children and kept them active in a secure gym location. Community groups brought in a hot lunch and snacks. Counselors were made available in a safe location. Having resources organized in the beginning will surely reduce the long-term impacts on mental and physical health.
Sorry but I'm afraid this sounds to me less like 'resilience' from the point of view of personal psychology, as community organisation, structure and cohesiveness leading to high support capacity, which rapidly breaks down under widespread and sustained challenge (Hurricane Katrina comes to mind)
My understanding of resilience is a trait wherein the individual has a greater or less capacity to 'bounce back ' after personal set back (s) of some kind and significance or another.
There is a body of evidence (studying refugess in refugee camps) that 'resilience' has a significant genetic component, in addition to (but probably related to) 'Big 5' personality characteristics such as extroversion, agreeableness and conscientiousness.
It seems to me that none of the aspects you mention have to do with personal 'resilience' so much as the capacity of the relevent community to provide external support (of various kinds).
I think the use of the term 'resilience' is misleading and inappropriate here.
(Community 'responsiveness' might be a better term)
That is the problem with resilience, too many definitions...RAND found 122 separate ones. It is much like "health" is it the absence of disease or the presence of specific physiological, psychological indicators? @ least health has specific measures but resilience is difficult to quantify.
I work in Forensic mental health and view resilience in a similar way to Peter. We work with an individuals ability to overcome set backs and illness episodes with a focus on community and social support networks, stress management skills, coping, self-awareness, daily living skills to enable participation in the wider community and ability to negotiate various social and government systems to function successfully. I guess diet and food plays a part in overall personal resilience, but my understanding is much broader. If I view resilience in this way, the answer to your question is definately 'yes'.
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