Best practices for life course approach implementation at the state level: A culture shift

The life course approach considers the broad range of social, economic and environmental factors that impact an individual's health throughout all stages of the lifespan and across population groups. This session will examine the challenges of practical application of the life course approach at the state health department level. During the summer of 2012, the Louisiana Office of Public Health, Bureau of Family Health (BFH) conducted a literature search and key informant interviews with life course approach experts through partnership with Tulane University. Louisiana staff and authorities in other states in the field of maternal and child health were asked their opinions on the life course approach, to assess how their work fit into the framework and to generate future programming ideas. Lessons learned included best implementation practices through education, programming, annual strategic planning, community involvement, non-traditional partners and sustainability. The act of conducting research in itself led to a cultural shift in the BFH workforce. Employees began to consider the life course approach with greater importance in daily conversations. Thus, strategy sessions and outputs began to emphasize the inclusion of health disparities such as poverty, racism and fatherhood involvement. The translation of life course theory to practice in local and state health departments should include research on programmatic best practices and an educational component to facilitate cultural dialogue between internal teams. Although deliberate planning changes must take place, a cultural shift in the workforce is also necessary for the future success of health administrators in implementing life course.