CPPW Program Overview and the Community Initiative

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 dedicated $650 million to carry out multiple evidence-based clinical and community-based prevention and wellness strategies that “deliver specific, measurable health outcomes that address chronic disease rates.” In response, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) developed Communities Putting Prevention to Work (CPPW). As a part of this program, CDC made available $373 million in competitive funds sustainable, evidence-based, population-based approaches to reduce tobacco use and obesity. For the Community initiative of CPPW, CDC received 263 eligible applications from communities in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and six U.S. territories. After a thorough review process, awards were made in March 2010 to 44 communities. Twenty-three communities received funding for obesity prevention alone, 14 communities received funding for tobacco prevention alone, and an additional seven communities received funding for both obesity and tobacco prevention efforts. Over the two-year program, awardees will employ evidence-based strategies around media, access, point of purchase, price, and social support and will design their programs to improve the health of their communities through policy and environmental change. Awarded communities will be using multiple strategies to improve nutrition, increase physical activity, and reduce tobacco use rates, initiation, and secondhand smoke exposure.