A Mixed Methods Study of Local Policy, Systems, and Environmental Approaches Supportive of Healthy Eating and Physical Activity
Authors
Sreedhara, MeeraFaculty Advisor
Stephenie C. LemonAcademic Program
Clinical and Population Health ResearchUMass Chan Affiliations
Division of Preventive and Behavioral Medicine, Department of Population and Quantitative Health SciencesDocument Type
Doctoral DissertationPublication Date
2020-04-13Keywords
Healthy eatingnutrition
diet
physical activity
active transportation
transportation
built environment
policy
strategic health improvement planning
community health improvement plan
public health
community health
Complete Streets
public health systems research
local health department
mixed methods
Public Health
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Background: Policy, systems and environmental (PSE) approaches can sustainably improve opportunities for healthy eating (HE) and active transportation (AT). PSEs require cross-sector collaboration. Adopting and implementing PSEs is complex and not well understood. Methods: First, using a national probability survey dataset of US local health departments (LHD), inclusion of HE and AT PSE strategies in local community health improvement plans (CHIPs) was examined. Next, a content analysis of current CHIP documents provided data for multilevel latent class analyses to identify classes of CHIPs based on patterns of PSE-strategy alignment with six key activities that facilitate change. Lastly, semi-structured interviews informed a qualitative exploration of early stage Complete Streets policy implementation in Worcester, Massachusetts. Results: Less than half of US LHDs reported developing a CHIP containing any HE policy (32%) or AT (46%) strategies. Two classes of CHIPs were identified: CHIPs in Class A (HE: 71%; Physical Activity (PA): 79%) simply identified a PSE solution; Class B CHIPs (HE: 29%; PA 21%) mostly included PSE strategies that comprehensively addressed multiple key activities. Six themes emerged as factors for early Complete Streets implementation. Conclusions: This mixed methods study provides a novel understanding of the status, development and implementation of PSE strategies in relation to collaborative strategic health improvement planning efforts. CHIPs are underutilized to promote PSE strategies and few CHIPs in our study developed strategies that comprehensively address the process of PSE-change. Among other factors, CHIPs may provide a guiding structure for policy adoption and implementation.DOI
10.13028/g67j-4365Permanent Link to this Item
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14038/31299Rights
Copyright is held by the author, with all rights reserved.ae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.13028/g67j-4365
Scopus Count
Related items
Showing items related by title, author, creator and subject.
-
Policy Brief: Addressing Social Determinants of Health through Community Health Workers: A Call to ActionLondon, Katharine; Damio, Grace; Ferrazo, Meredith; Perez-Escamalla, Rafael; Wiggins, Noelle (2018-01-30)This technical report was compiled by the Hispanic Health Council in partnership with Southwestern AHEC and a panel of Community Health Worker Policy Research Experts which included our Katharine London from the Center for Health Law and Economics. The report offers a number of policy recommendations for community health workers for communities that might benefit from community-based services. The report offers recommendations on; payment of community health workers; community health worker caseloads; community health worker recruitment; community health worker training; reflective and trauma-informed mentoring and supportive supervision of community health workers; integration of community health workers into care teams; documenting the effect of community heal worker services on social determination of health. The Hispanic Health Council believes a service design that effectively supports community health workers would incorporate the seven areas of policy recommendation included in this report.
-
A Public Health Framework for the State Mental Health Authority: A Call for Action by Massachusetts Consumers and Family MembersDelman, Jonathan (2006-01-01)During the Spring of 2006, Consumer Quality Initiatives (CQI) conducted 20 focus groups across the state, 12 with adults with mental illness, 3 with parents of youth with serious emotional disorder, 2 with youth with SED, 1 with family members of adult consumers, and 2 with youth in transition. Supported by a contract with Massachusetts Department of Mental Health (DMH), the goal was to assist DMH in framing the criteria for its upcoming reprocurement. Our findings reveal a frustration with an approach to health care delivery that focuses primarily on the provision of psychiatric care (egs, medication, therapy, hospitalization). We reviewed the focus group reports to identify the most significant themes, which clustered within eight broad categories.
-
Making the Case for Sustainable Funding for Community Health Worker Services: Talking to Payers and ProvidersLondon, Katharine (2018-01-27)In this presentation, Katharine London of the Center for Health Law and Economics makes her case for offering sustainable funding for community health worker services. Research has shown community health workers can have a distinct impact on health systems, helping them improve population health and contain costs, while also promoting health equity and community engagement. This presentation was designed to assist CHWs and other advocates in engaging with policymakers and payers to support CHW sustainability and develop a financial plan for their CHW work. It was presented as part of a CHW Sustainability event held at the Families USA’s annual conference, Health Action 2018: Staying Strong for America’s Families, in Washington, DC. See Katharine London's blog post on payment delivery methods for community health workers here.