Bringing Health Policy Issues Front and Center in the Community: Expanding the Role of Community Health Coalitions1

Details

• Journal Article:
  Preventing Chronic Disease (PCD)
• Personal Author:
  Meister, Joel S ; Guernsey de Zapien, Jill
• Description:
  Background
  
  Systemic, environmental, and socioeconomic conditions create the context in which community members deal with their health concerns. Comprehensive, community-based chronic disease prevention interventions should address community-wide or regional policy issues that influence lifestyle behaviors associated with chronic diseases.
  
  Context
  
  In two communities along the Arizona-Mexico border, community coalitions that administered a comprehensive diabetes prevention and control intervention expanded their membership to become policy and advocacy coalitions with broad community representation. These coalitions, or Special Action Groups (SAGs), identified and prioritized policy issues that directly or indirectly affect physical activity or nutrition.
  
  Methods
  
  Local schools were one focus of advocacy. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's School Health Index was implemented as part of the overall intervention; the SAGs supported schools in advocating for more physical education programs, removal of vending machines, substitution of more healthful options in vending machines, and changes in health education curricula. In the broader community, the SAGs promoted opportunities for walking and bicycling, long-term planning by their cities and counties, and healthy food choices in local grocery stores.
  
  Consequences
  
  After three years, SAGs were able to document changes in local policies and practices attributable to their activities.
  
  Interpretation
  
  The SAGs contributed to systems changes in their communities and were able to obtain new resources that support protective behaviors. Also, the advocacy process itself provided strong positive reinforcement to all participants in this comprehensive diabetes intervention.
  
  
• Subjects:
  Community-Institutional Relations Health Policy Health Promotion Humans International Cooperation
• Source:
  Prev Chronic Dis. 2005; 2(1).
• ISSN:
  1545-1151
• Document Type:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Arizona ; Mexico
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  2
• Issue:
  1
• Collection(s):
  Preventing Chronic Disease
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:40b877c0dd469536f6872dfba9877ffc36d0a9de32b9a15facedc47565d6a39a241543afb138c18f218f6d96247c4789f801b86ae707f107771c3e3399d3cd56
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/19901/cdc_19901_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 239.54 KB ]