University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA.
Prev Chronic Dis. 2012;9:E173. doi: 10.5888/pcd9.120095.
Childhood obesity rates in minority populations continue to rise despite leveling national trends. Although interventions that address social and environmental factors exist, processes that create demand for policy and environmental change within communities have not been identified.
We developed a pilot program in South Omaha, a Nebraska Latino community, based on the community readiness model (CRM), called SaludableOmaha. We used CRM to explore the potential of youth advocacy to shift individual and community norms regarding obesity prevention in South Omaha and to advocate for health-promoting community environments.
We used CRM to assess supply and demand for health programs, engage the community, determine the community's baseline readiness to address childhood obesity, and guide youth advocacy program development. We conducted our project in 2 phases. In the first, we trained a cohort of youth. In the second, the youth cohort created and launched a Latino health movement, branded as SaludableOmaha. A third phase, which is currently under way, is directed at institutionalizing youth advocacy in communities.
At baseline, the community studied was at a low stage of readiness for change. Our program generated infrastructure and materials to support the growth and institutionalization of youth advocacy as a means of increasing community readiness for addressing obesity prevention.
CRM is an important tool for addressing issues such as childhood obesity in underserved communities because it provides a framework for matching interventions to the community. Community partnerships such as SaludableOmaha can aid the adoption of obesity prevention programs.
尽管全国的趋势趋于平稳，但少数民族群体的儿童肥胖率仍在持续上升。尽管存在针对社会和环境因素的干预措施，但尚未确定在社区内创造政策和环境变化需求的过程。
我们基于社区准备模型（CRM），在内布拉斯加州的一个拉美裔社区奥马哈南部，开发了一个名为“SaludableOmaha”的试点项目。我们使用 CRM 来探索青年倡导在奥马哈南部转变个人和社区对肥胖预防的规范，并倡导促进健康的社区环境的潜力。
我们使用 CRM 来评估健康计划的供需情况，让社区参与进来，确定社区解决儿童肥胖问题的基线准备情况，并指导青年倡导计划的制定。我们的项目分两个阶段进行。在第一阶段，我们培训了一群青年。在第二阶段，青年群体创建并发起了一个拉美健康运动，品牌名为“SaludableOmaha”。目前正在进行的第三阶段旨在将青年倡导纳入社区。
在基线时，研究的社区处于变革的低准备阶段。我们的计划生成了基础设施和材料，以支持青年倡导的成长和制度化，作为提高社区解决肥胖预防问题的准备程度的一种手段。
CRM 是解决服务不足社区中儿童肥胖等问题的重要工具，因为它提供了一种将干预措施与社区相匹配的框架。像“SaludableOmaha”这样的社区伙伴关系可以帮助采用肥胖预防计划。
