207798 Role of public-private partnerships in the development and implementation of state obesity prevention and control programs

Wednesday, November 11, 2009: 9:30 AM

Bridget Kelly, PhD, MPH , RTI International, Washington, DC
Amy Roussel, PhD , Division for Health Services and Social Policy Research, RTI International, Research Triangle Park, NC
LaShawn Curtis, DrPH, MPH , RTI International, Atlanta, GA
Pamela Williams-Piehota, PhD , Health Promotion Research, RTI International, Research Triangle Park, NC
Molly Lynch, MPH , RTI International, Research Triangle Park, NC
Joseph Horne, BA , RTI International, Seattle, WA
Megan Gray, BA , RTI International, Research Triangle Park, NC
James C. Hersey, PhD , RTI International, Washington, DC
State health departments funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) State-based Nutrition and Physical Activity Program to Prevent Obesity and Other Chronic Diseases (NPAO) collaborate with multiple partners to develop and implement comprehensive obesity prevention and control programs. Evaluation of the first five years of the NPAO program (2003-2008) applied quantitative and qualitative methods to assess states' progress on key NPAO program requirements, including developing statewide partnerships and coordinating with partners to support obesity prevention and control efforts.

This presentation describes the partnerships states developed and the contributions of principal partners, including participation in strategic planning processes and the provision of staffing support. It includes analysis of associations between an indicator of the strength of partnership involvement and other program accomplishments.

Findings from case studies and descriptive statistical analyses suggest partnerships' centrality to successful NPAO state program development and implementation. For example, among the 28 funded states, states above the median in degree of partnership involvement leveraged on average 3 times as much funding support for their NPAO program and passed about 3.5 times more obesity-related policies. States with greater partnership involvement were also significantly more likely to implement obesity interventions in multiple settings.

This analysis also yielded lessons learned for establishing and maintaining strong partnerships. Discussion of these results could inform the development of obesity prevention programs and other community-based health promotion efforts. Evaluation efforts in comparable programs with similar requirements for partnership development and coordination of resources may also benefit from these findings.

Learning Objectives:
Identify strategies for developing and sustaining strong statewide partnerships for obesity prevention and control. Explain the contributions of partnerships (with community-based organizations, universities, etc.) to successful state obesity program development and implementation. Describe emerging evidence for the centrality of partnerships to states’ success in implementing comprehensive obesity prevention and control programs.

Keywords: Obesity, Evaluation

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: James Hersey is a principal research psychologist in RTI’s Washington, DC, office with more than 30 years of experience in the design and analysis of large national surveys and evaluation research projects. An expert in research design and applied statistical methods, he leads major evaluations of social marketing and public education campaigns. For the past 14 years, he has served as project director of three program assessment contracts with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). These projects have included an evaluation of the cost-effectiveness of public education for adult immunization; an evaluation of programs designed to prevent complications associated with diabetes; and evaluations of national and community-based public social marketing campaigns in tobacco control, nutrition, HIV prevention, and obesity prevention.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

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.