Evaluation of Contributors to Policy, Systems, and Environmental Change among Model Communities in Suburban Cook County, Illinois

Introduction As part of the federal Communities Putting Prevention to Work initiative, the Suburban Cook County Model Communities Grant Program focuses on local policy, systems, and environmental (PSE) change to transform communities, workplaces, and school environments into model places to live, work and play. Model Communities (MC) grant funds were awarded to 38 local governments, community organizations and school districts throughout suburban Cook County. The PSE change approach moves beyond individual behavior to promote system-level change and modifies environments to make healthy choices available to all community members.

Methods The evaluation team used a multiple case study method with three waves of data collection. Over 90 key-informant interviews were conducted with 6 MC grantees in September 2011, January, and May 2012. Interviews were conducted to develop a deeper understanding of the factors and contextual influences that shape PSE change for these organizations, with a specific focus on barriers and facilitators that impacted their initiatives.

Results Five themes emerged from wave one as facilitators of the PSE change process: technical assistance, organizational capacity, collaborations, leadership, and communication. Major barriers included time constraints posed by the grant period and lack of buy-in from stakeholders. Results from waves two and three will elucidate the extent to which PSE change can be sustained.

Discussion These results contribute to our knowledge of the facilitators and existing barriers involved in implementing PSE change at the local level and suggest the MC approach could be successful in supporting communities to address PSE change to improve public health.