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Evaluating Capacity Building in Local Healthy Communities
Projects to Achieve Policy, Systems, and Environmental Changes
Mike Boysun, MPH, Tobacco Prevention and Control Program,
Washington State Department of Health
Abstract for the HC Policy Tracking system As part of the evaluation
for the Washington state Healthy Communities Program, we
are specifically looking at development of local health department
capacity to do policy, systems, and environmental (PSE) change work.
Because this program was a pilot approach to capacity development
in low-capacity counties, the evaluation not only explored how local
capacity for PSE change developed over time but also how the quality
of the program could be improved for the next cohort of Healthy
Communities county teams. In this presentation, we describe the
over-arching evaluation plan and approach to assessing and tracking
capacity building and quality improvement process. This includes a
baseline assessment of competencies as defined through the Directors
of Health Promotion and Education. We then discuss the specific
data collection methods, rationale, and metrics collected throughout
the year. We include a discussion on the challenges and encountered
and solutions in evaluating capacity in low-capacity counties. Finally,
we share the results and findings of the data analyzed plus the quality
improvement findings used to shape the new round of capacity development
Healthy Communities county health department teams.
Tracking Development of Policy, Systems, and Environmental
Changes in Local Healthy Communities Projects
Marilyn Sitaker, MPH, Washington State Department of Health
Abstract for the HC Policy Tracking system Since 2003 the
WA-NPAO program has helped local communities implement the
policy, systems and environmental (PSE) change strategies promoted
in its CDC-funded State Nutrition and Physical Activity Plan. As
Washington’s public health practitioners learned to adapt traditional
program planning approaches to PSE work, they struggled to find
ways to evaluate their progress. As we began our capacity-building
Healthy Communities project, the Recommended Community
Strategies and Measurements to Prevent Obesity in the United State
helped us focus on those strategies that were likely to have the greatest
impact. Strategies identified in the Communities Putting Prevention
to Work
grants showed us which PSE changes were being counted at the
national level. Yet this solves only part of the evaluation puzzle. We
found that identifying a theoretical model of policy development,
enactment, implementation and impact was a critical step in creating
a framework to evaluate PSE change work in local communities, and
measure impact statewide. In this presentation, we briefly describe
two theoretical policy models: the Stages of Policy Development
framework, and the Multiple Streams Framework. We discuss how
these models were used to develop, test and refine Washington’s policy
tracking system. We describe the reporting tool used to collect progress
in local policy development on a semi-annual basis, and provide
definitions and examples of reported milestones across the stages of
policy development. We show data that summarizes progress in policy
development for each “MAPPS” strategy (media, access, point of
purchase/promotion, pricing, social support) in Healthy Community
projects statewide.
Concurrent Session A3
Tobacco National Networks and Tribal
Support Centers: Sharing Strategies,
Lessons Learned, and Implications for
Tobacco Control Efforts
Tobacco National Networks and Tribal Support Centers: Promoting
Policy, Systems, and Environment Change
Kevin Collins, PhD, CDC Office on Smoking and Health; Kim
Alford, BS, CHES, TTS, National Native Commercial Tobacco Abuse
Prevention Network
Background: National Tobacco Control Networks for Priority
Populations have been funded since 2001 to provide leadership, expertise
and promotion of policy-related initiatives (including environmental
and systems change) and increase utilization of proven or potentially
promising practices when available or appropriate. Successes and
lessons learned from this initiative includes the development policies
that restrict tobacco use, an increase in the participation of tobacco
prevention efforts by underserved populations, and the development of
population specific tools that communities can use in tobacco prevention
efforts. These organizations are tasked to create and maintain
the following networks: • African-American • American Indians/
Alaskan Natives • Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders • Hispanic/
Latino • Gay/Lesbian/Bisexual/Transgender • Low Socio-economic
status Building upon efforts begun in 2000, CDC-OSH funded a
second round of Tribal Support Centers in an attempt to identify and
eliminate the tobacco-related disparities among AI/AN populations.
The evaluation report provided findings and recommendations on
the Tribal Support Centers for Tobacco initiative which was funded
for five years (Oct 2005 to Sept 2010) . Theoretical basis: Networks
are intended to be powerful mechanisms for sharing information and
knowledge. They also promote communication and coordination to
achieve sustainable development. Networks act as effective catalysts
for building relationships and commitment among public and private
stakeholders at the local, national, regional, and international levels.
They help build trustful relationships as a basis for sharing information
and knowledge, and serve as mutual learning and capacity – building
mechanisms. Objectives: National Networks facilitate a process
by which network participants will inform the tobacco prevention
community about: the depth of industry targeting; the gaps in data
used to describe the burden of tobacco; and strategies to implement
SOPHE-NACDD 2011 Joint Academy and Midyear Scientific Meeting 21