265619 Evaluating Policy, System, and Environmental change initiatives for prevention of chronic diseases

Wednesday, October 31, 2012 : 9:10 AM - 9:30 AM

Shannon Laing, MSW , Center for Healthy Communities, Michigan Public Health Institute, Okemos, MI
Monal Shroff, PhD , Center for Healthy Communities, Michigan Public Health Institute, Okemos, MI
Policies, systems, and environments (PSE) are important determinants of individual lifestyle choices and create conditions that promote or prohibit community health. There is limited knowledge around appropriate evaluation approaches for community-driven PSE changes, particularly for assessing impact. This presentation will describe the successes, challenges, and lessons learned through the development and implementation of the evaluation plan for the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians' Strategic Alliance for Health, a CDC-funded Healthy Communities initiative that aims to promote physical activity and nutrition, and reduce commercial tobacco use and exposure through sustainable and evidence-based PSE changes. Comprehensive community action plans, consisting of multi-sector interventions, were developed and carried out by local community coalitions in four rural communities, and a leadership team covering the Sault Tribe's seven-county service area. Key interventions include: Safe Routes to School; Complete Streets; Coordinated School Health; improvements in the built environment; adoption of comprehensive wellness policies in schools; menu labeling and promotion in non-chain restaurants; farmers' markets and community gardens; and smoke-free policies in multi-unit housing and public recreation spaces. The evaluation team worked collaboratively with project staff to select performance measures and to design an evaluation based on the principles of the Community Coalition Action Theory that could gather data to inform the PSE change process for quality improvement and speak to the outcomes and probable impact of the interventions. Sample tools and evaluation resources will be shared to highlight the methods for evaluating coalition functioning, leadership, behavior change, and outcomes at the community level.

Learning Areas:
Conduct evaluation related to programs, research, and other areas of practice

Learning Objectives:
Describe the challenges and successes associated with implementing comprehensive policy, system, and environmental change initiatives Describe a well-developed evaluation plan and understand the methods used

Keywords: Evaluation, Community-Based Public Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have been the project coordinator and evaluation team lead for multiple federally funded grants focusing on community health assessment, community health improvement, and evaluation of community-based participatory projects among American Indian Tribes and Tribal organizations. Among my public health interests has been the development, adaptation, and evaluation of evidence-based public health strategies in tribal communities for addressing chronic disease disparities.
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.