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The purpose of this article is to describe the development of an academic linkage to a community health partnership and a state and local health department that occurred in the […]

Background: The State Indicator Report on Physical Activity, 2010 (SIRPA) and accompanying resources provide information for practitioners to promote physical activity. This study evaluated awareness, access, and use of materials among physical activity practitioners. Methods: A Web-based survey assessed awareness, access and use among respondents. The 26-item questionnaire assessed the usability of products developed by the federal government. Response frequencies and 95% confidence intervals were reported. Results: Response rate was 27% (135 of 508). Awareness of material was from e-mail (35.6%) or partner Websites (37.8%). One-third of respondents (33.3%) accessed materials at least once a month, but 39.3% reported no use. The SIRPA (44.4%) and state-specific action guides (34.1%) were used the most. Materials were used to compare state-specific to national data (57.0%) and to present data to the public (41.5%). Most respondents (83%) reported public health partners as a target audience, and 91.8% were likely to share information in the future. Conclusions: SIRPA awareness was primarily through electronic communication, and two-thirds of respondents used the materials. Respondents accessed materials for state comparisons and public distribution. Increasing the use of federal physical activity promotion materials involves considering design and dissemination features related to the needs of practitioners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: From 1996 to 2013, a 6-day Physical Activity and Public Health Course for Practitioners has been offered yearly in the United States. An evaluation was conducted to assess the impact of the course on building public health capacity for physical activity and on shaping the physical activity and public health careers of fellows since taking the courses.Method: An evaluation quantified time that fellows spent in different course offerings and surveyed fellows.Results: From 1996 to 2012, 410 fellows attended the course, and in 2013, 186 participated in the Web-based survey (56% response rate). The number of fellows attending the course ranged from 15 to 33 yearly. From 1996 to 2012, the course averaged 38 hr of instructional time that included topics on interventions and environment/policy work to increase physical activity, program evaluation, public health research, and health disparities. The course included consultations, collaborative work, and field-based experiences. Fellows who participated in the survey agreed that the course had a positive impact on the physical activity research or practice work they did (98%), met their expectations (96%), helped them with research/practice collaborations with other physical activity professionals (96%), assisted them in conducting higher-quality interventions/programs (95%), helped increase their professional networking in the field (93%), and had a positive impact on other work they did (91%). Following the course, 66% and 56% had further contact with faculty and other fellows, respectively.Conclusion: The Physical Activity and Public Health Course for Practitioners made important contributions toward building the capacity of physical activity and public health practitioners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The present study examines the impact of Health Bucks, a farmers' market incentive programme, on awareness of and access to farmers' markets, and fruit and vegetable purchase and consumption in low-income New York City neighbourhoods.Design: The evaluation used two primary data collection methods: (i) an on-site point-of-purchase survey of farmers' market shoppers; and (ii) a random-digit-dial telephone survey of residents in neighbourhoods where the programme operates. Additionally, we conducted a quasi-experimental analysis examining differential time trends in consumption before and after programme introduction using secondary Community Health Survey (CHS) data.Setting: New York City farmers' markets and communities.Subjects: Farmers' market shoppers (n 2287) completing point-of-purchase surveys in a representative sample of New York City farmers' markets in 2010; residents (n 1025) completing random-digit-dial telephone survey interviews in 2010; and respondents (n 35 606) completing CHS interviews in 2002, 2004, 2008 and 2009.Results: Greater Health Bucks exposure was associated with: (i) greater awareness of farmers' markets; (ii) increased frequency and amount of farmers' market purchases; and (iii) greater likelihood of a self-reported year-over-year increase in fruit and vegetable consumption. However, our CHS analysis did not detect impacts on consumption.Conclusions: While our study provides promising evidence that use of farmers' market incentives is associated with increased awareness and use of farmers' markets, additional research is needed to better understand impacts on fruit and vegetable consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose. Obesity has reached epidemic proportions. Public health practitioners are distinctly positioned to promote the environmental changes essential to addressing obesity. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other entities provide evidence and technical assistance to support this work, yet little is known about how practitioners use evidence and support as they intervene to prevent obesity. The study's purpose was to describe how practitioners and CDC project officers characterized the obesity prevention task, where practitioners accessed support, and evidence, and what approaches to support and evidence they found most useful. Approach or Design. Mixed-methods, cross-sectional interviews, and survey. Setting. Stale-level public health obesity prevention programs. Participants. Public health practitioners and CDC project officers. Method. We conducted 10 in-depth interviews with public health practitioners (n = 7) and project officers (n= 3) followed by an online survey completed by 62practitioners (50% response rate). We applied content analysis to interview data and descriptive statistics to survey data. Results. Practitioners characterized obesity prevention as uncertain and complex, involving interdependence among actors, multiple levels of activity, an excess of information, and a paucity of evidence. Survey findings provide further detail on the types of evidence and support practitioners used and valued. Conclusion. We recommend approaches to tailoring evidence and support to the needs of practitioners working on obesity prevention and other complex health problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Logic models are graphic representations of the relationship between program activities and their intended effects and are used for both program planning and evaluation. Logic models can provide an important foundation for program evaluation by identifying evaluation questions that most appropriately assess program processes and outcomes and by guiding measurement decisions. We demonstrate how logic models can be used to plan program evaluation by describing the adoption of logic modeling by the Washington State Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Program (WaHDSPP) and by specifying the changes in process and use of logic models since the program's initial funding. Our paper describes how a logic model was used in generating the program evaluation plan for the WaHDSPP, including the identification of evaluation questions and development of indicators to track progress effectively. We describe the use of evaluation results, as well as steps state programs can take to use logic models in program evaluation.