Association between community characteristics and implementation of community programmes and policies addressing childhood obesity: the Healthy Communities Study.
BACKGROUND
Little is known about whether characteristics of communities are associated with differential implementation of community programmes and policies to promote physical activity and healthy eating. This study examines associations between community characteristics (e.g. region and race/ethnicity) and the intensity of community programmes and policies implemented to prevent childhood obesity. It explores whether community characteristics moderate the intensity of community efforts to prevent childhood obesity.


OBJECTIVE
The objective of this study is to investigate associations between community characteristics and the intensity of community policies and programmes to prevent childhood obesity documented in the Healthy Communities Study that engaged a diverse sample of US communities.


METHOD
Programmes and policies were documented in 130 communities across the USA, reporting over 9000 different community programmes and policies to prevent obesity among children ages 4-15. We examined associations between community characteristics and the intensity of community programmes and policies implemented (i.e. their amount and reach, duration and strength of change strategy).


CONCLUSION
Community characteristics explain 25% of the variability in the intensity of community programmes and policies implemented in communities. Particular characteristics - urbanicity, region, being a large county and the per cent of African-Americans in a community - contributed to more (over 18% of the 25%) of the observed variability.
['Schultz|J A|JA|0000-0002-2325-958X', 'Collie-Akers|V L|VL|0000-0002-7873-5512', 'Fawcett|S B|SB|', 'Strauss|W J|WJ|', 'Nagaraja|J|J|', 'Landgraf|A J|AJ|', 'McIver|K L|KL|', 'Weber|S A|SA|', 'Arteaga|S S|SS|', 'Nebeling|L C|LC|', 'Rauzon|S M|SM|', '|||']
D000293:Adolescent D002648:Child D002675:Child, Preschool D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies D015444:Exercise D054625:Healthcare Disparities D006801:Humans D063766:Pediatric Obesity D011314:Preventive Health Services D011634:Public Health D012111:Residence Characteristics D014481:United States
Childhood obesity prevention community interventions context