Operational Barriers and Facilitators to Implementing an Obesity Prevention Project in a Local Urban Jurisdiction: Preliminary Findings from a Case Example

Background: In March 2010, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health embarked on a local Communities Putting Prevention to Work initiative, the Renewing Environments for Nutrition, Exercise & Wellness (RENEW-LAC) project, to implement policy, system, and/or environmental changes for addressing the obesity epidemic. As part of its internal quality monitoring process, a series of interviews with key staff were performed to document lessons learned from the implementation of the project's large scope of work.Methods: Between November and December 2010, key informant interviews were conducted with approximately 15 key personnel from RENEW-LAC. Participants included staff members from various levels of project operation (i.e. project directors, policy analysis, administrators, assistants, etc.). Content analysis was carried out to identify key themes that reflected operational barriers and facilitators.Results: Preliminary findings suggest that while most staff interviewed have clear understanding of their duties in relation in the project, many indicated that operational barriers were quite challenging, often causing substantial delays in making progress. These barriers included: the length of agency contracting process which often included a bidding procedure and a lag in execution; lack of community awareness of project objectives; variable level of interest/prioritizing among funded community partners; and less-than-optimal communication technologies. Conclusions: These initial qualitative findings suggest that RENEW LAC and other large-scale community projects may face similar barriers including contracting, lengthy processes within funded agencies, and unmet communication needs. These initial lessons may help inform improvements to project operation and guide expectations and project management by the project's funding agency.