226553 Use of a project management website to enhance community-based obesity prevention projects

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Dominique Fauble, MPA , Klein Buendel, Inc, Golden, CO
Walter Young, PhD , Consultant Group, National Association of Chronic Disease Directors, Atlanta, GA
Poor eating habits and physical inactivity contribute to increasing rates of obesity in the United States. Researchers at Klein Buendel, Inc. built and are testing an on-line, interactive web program (Balancing InTake and Expenditure [BITE]) that integrates physical activity and nutrition program planning, management and evaluation functions for use by state and/or community-based health promotion practitioners. BITE is being evaluated with a randomized community trial in 40 communities from 8 states with greatest rates of obesity. States were awarded $3,000 mini-grants which were distributed to 40 communities selected through a competitive application process. Twenty communities were randomly selected as intervention communities and trained on and have access to the Communities In Balance (CIB) website for planning and implementing a community-based obesity prevention project. Twenty comparison communities are planning and implementing their prevention project using project management tools they typically use. Preliminary mid-course data on this 13-month trial suggest that there are no significant differences in demographics and perceived coalition functioning between the intervention and control communities. Well-managed projects are found among the control and intervention groups and these have much to do with the organizational skills and commitment of the coordinator. Use of the CIB website varies greatly among intervention communities: some are able to manage their project completely online, some have adapted to the website partially, while others are unable to switch over to using the website at all, depending on the characteristics of the coalition and its leadership.

Learning Areas:
Implementation of health education strategies, interventions and programs

Learning Objectives:
1. Identify the leader, coalition and community characteristics that influence whether a project management website will be a useful tool for community-based obesity prevention projects. 2. Compare community-based obesity prevention projects developed with and without use of an on-line project management website to determine benefits and drawbacks of each method.

Keywords: Obesity, Internet Tools

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am the coordinator of the project that I will be presenting.
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.