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Abstract #158015

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Rebekah Craig¹, Jada Walker, MEd¹, Holly C. Felix, PhD¹, Martha M. Phillips, PhD, MPH, MBA², and James M. Raczynski, PhD¹. (1) College of Public Health, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, 4301 West Markham Street, Slot 820, Little Rock, AR 72205, 501-526-6679, craigrebekahl@uams.edu, (2) Division of Health, Center for Public Health Practice, Arkansas Department of Health & Human Services, 4815 West Markham Street, PO Box 1437, Slot H-32, Little Rock, AR 72203-1437

Shaping health policy is one core function of public health professionals. To do so effectively, we must understand our role in the process of agenda setting and policy creation. We used the Kingdon Policy Streams Model to describe the rise of childhood obesity onto the Arkansas governmental agenda, culminating in the passage of Act 1220 of 2003, an act of the Arkansas General Assembly to combat childhood obesity. Semi-structured interviews were completed with individuals involved in the development and passage of the Act. Additionally, relevant legislative documents and published reports were reviewed.

Through analysis of the interviews and documents, we identified three groups of policy entrepreneurs who contributed to the problem and policy streams and coupled these with the politics stream, successfully moving this innovative policy alternative (Act 1220) through a momentary “policy window” into law. Reviewing the passage of innovative legislation, such as this case study of Act 1220, will improve our understanding of the avenues of participation public health professionals may have in the policy process, such as serving as policy entrepreneurs. This understanding will enable us to fulfill our role as public health professionals in shaping health policy in the 21st century.

Learning Objectives:

• Understand the policy process as it occurred in this case study.
• Describe avenues for participation, as a health professional, in the policy process including developing alternatives, defining the problem and advocating for specific alternatives.
• Analyze an innovative policy that moved through the “policy window”.

Keywords: Obesity, Policy/Policy Development

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No
Any institutionally-contracted trials related to this submission?

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

• Slides (pdf) or Handout