Community Partnerships for Translating Policy to Practice in Chronic Disease Prevention

Introduction. Local health departments (LHDs) play an important role in translating policy to practice by engaging in community partnerships where people work, live, and play. This presentation will discuss strategies LHDs can implement in partnership with local worksites and community organizations to support and implement public policy in the area of chronic disease prevention, as well as the challenges they face in this work.

Methods. Since 2008, the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) has funded and provided technical assistance to 33 LHDs to implement policy, systems, and environmental improvements for chronic disease prevention. Funded LHDs in Columbus, Ohio, and Lynchburg, Virginia, partnered with local worksites and community organizations in their communities to enhance and support newly-enacted city-wide policies in nutrition and physical activity through organizational practice. Examples of strategies included providing private breastfeeding rooms and visible support of breastfeeding through signage; assistance to public institutions for providing healthy options in vending machines; a playground and active play tool kit for community events, and assistance for complying with healthy guidelines for obtaining city special event permits. The goals of these initiatives were to build on the momentum created by the public policies and help community members take advantage of new opportunities for healthy behavior made possible by the policies where they work, live, and play. Altarum Institute, a consultant with NACCHO, conducted evaluation of these efforts through annual web-based surveys and phone interviews with the funded LHDs from 2008 to 2012.

Results.  The LHDs reported facing some resistance from organizations with limited resources in terms of funding, physical space, and tools. Strategies for overcoming these barriers included providing financial incentives, training, and technical assistance to participating organizations. The LHDS found that supporting public policy is often a low priority for worksites and community organizations when there are limited resources. Offering a modest financial incentive was an effective way to engage organizations in this approach. In these communities, the LHDs reported receiving positive responses from community members to these efforts.

Conclusions. Strategic partnerships between LHDs and local worksites and community organizations can help employees and other community members comply with policy and take advantage of opportunities for healthy behavior made possible through policy.