Creating successful partnerships in community policy development focused on eliminating health disparities for chronic disease prevention

APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Rebecca Garza, PhD¹, Deborah Jean McClelland, MLS², Joel S. Meister, PhD, Professor², Noemi Garcia¹, Kenneth Schachter, MD², and Jill De Zapien². (1) Migrant Health Promotion, Inc., P.O. 337, Progreso, TX 78596, (2) Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, University of Arizona, P.O. Box 210228, Tucson, AZ 85724, 520-626-7946, jmc@rho.arizona.edu

The REACH 2010 Promotora Community Coalition is a CDC-supported participatory research partnership that brings clinics, local schools, community members and universities together to reduce health disparities tied to chronic illness in the Texas Rio Grande Valley. The coalition's efforts during the past six years have included planning, implementing and evaluating a comprehensive community-based diabetes prevention intervention, focused on promoting change at three levels: (1) the community level including its infrastructure, systems, and policies – environmental change; (2) the community leadership level – change agent change; and (3) the individual level – behavioral change. To effect change, the project developed four components: a community-wide intervention (promotora-led cooking classes and walking groups), two clinic interventions - promotora-led patient education on diabetes control, and a provider-based quality improvement effort – in three community health centers, and a school-based intervention – supporting School Health Advisory Councils in the planning and implementation of environmental change related to nutrition and physical activity – in three intervention schools. Presenters will highlight the strategies employed in developing and evaluating these intervention efforts. In the sixth year, the coalition has introduced community forums to expand community involvement in local policy development aimed at reducing health disparities and promoting healthy lifestyles. Discussion will focus on the challenges and successes experienced in the implementation and evaluation of this collaborative, evidence-based intervention, emphasizing the challenges in providing outcome data to assist the coalition with its critical reflection on project outcomes and sustainability as well as to better inform community policy regarding chronic disease and health disparities.

Learning Objectives:

At the conclusion of the session, the participant in this session will be able to

1) Recognize the key elements of participatory research and policy development essential to planning, implementing and sustaining a broad-based community driven, chronic disease prevention project;
2) Describe at least three steps for establishing and maintaining successful partnerships between diverse organizations and entities (clinics, K-12 schools, academic institutions, local government and NGO’s) in a community coalition;
3) Identify at least five tools and strategies employed to evaluate interventions targeting environmental and behavioral change in community health centers, schools, and the broader community.

Keywords: Participatory Research, Community-Based Partnership

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No

Recorded presentation

Nutrition Education and Promoting Healthy Behaviors to Prevent Chronic Conditions

The 134th Annual Meeting & Exposition (November 4-8, 2006) of APHA