The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA

Abstract #44276

Faith D. Lees, MS¹, Sandra D. Saunders, RDH, MS, MPH², Mary L. Greaney, MPH¹, and Phillip G. Clark, ScD³. (1) The SENIOR Project, University of Rhode Island, 2 Chafee Road, Kingston, RI 02881, 401-874-5507, flee2848@postoffice.uri.edu, (2) Dental Hygiene Program, The SENIOR Project, University of Rhode Island, 8 Washburn Hall, Kingston, RI 02881-2001, (3) Program in Gerontology, University of Rhode Island, White Hall G-15, Kingston, RI 02881

Community and university partnerships are a vital component of the Study of Exercise and Nutrition in Older Rhode Islanders (SENIOR) Project, a community based study designed to test the effectiveness of the Transtheoretical Model in improving physical activity and nutritional behaviors in older adults. Working directly with the city of East Providence, Rhode Island, partnerships were created with churches, libraries, housing authority properties, businesses, aging and minority specific organizations in the community, and with the Senior Center. A community advisory board was established and a local project office was opened and staffed with community members who served as bridges between the community and the university. These partnerships increased community involvement in the project, fostered a sense of community ownership, aided in recruitment (n=1,277), and is anticipated to contribute to high retention rates. Benefits to the community include increased visibility of the Senior Center and its programs, increased access to health education materials and health promotion programs, and a sense of belonging for participants as evidenced by the large turnout at a holiday party. Furthermore, partnerships within the university have resulted in opportunities for students to be involved in all phases of research, opportunities for intergenerational contact, and resulted in the community-wide distribution of an exercise tape created during a pilot project. As the project is ongoing, long-term benefits are yet to be determined. The process of developing mutually beneficial partnerships with a wide range of organizations and issues of sustainability will be discussed.

Learning Objectives:

• Recognize the wide range of community and university partnerships that can be developed.
• Identify the benefits that community and university partnerships can create.

Keywords: Partnerships, Community

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.