Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #111961

Frances D. Butterfoss, PhD, Health Promotion/Disease Prevention, Center for Pediatric Research, Eastern Virginia Medical School, 855 W. Brambleton Ave, Norfolk, VA 23510, 757-668-6329, ButterFD@evms.edu and Michelle C. Kegler, DrPH, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, 1518 Clifton Road NE, Atlanta, GA 30322.

Background: Public health professionals have eagerly embraced the practice of coalition building as an effective, inclusive approach to addressing complex health issues. The time has come to step away from the practice of building coalitions and forge a comprehensive theory that may increase our understanding of why some coalitions work effectively and others do not. The underlying foundation of the Community Coalition Action Theory (CCAT) is borrowed from the fields of community development, citizen participation, political science, inter-organizational relations and group process. Methods: A comprehensive review of the coalition literature led a body of empirical evidence that supports the theory's 14 constructs and 16 testable propositions. Results/Conclusion: The CCAT was developed and is published in a recent textbook of emerging theories in health promotion practice and research. This session is intended to disseminate this theory among practicing health educators and public health professionals in order to invite constructive criticism about the theory and its applications. Implications for Practice: Health education researchers and practitioners may use the CCAT as a framework to build and maintain coalitions and design effective interventions.

Learning Objectives:

• Discuss the rationale for a theory that clarifies our understanding of community coalitions
• Describe the Community Coalition Action Theory's constructs, assumptions, strengths, and limitations

Keywords: Coalition, Theory

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.

Recorded presentation