The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 7007 Bertner Ave Unit 1628, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
RTI International, 3040 East Cornwallis Road, P.O. Box 12194, Research Triangle Park, NC, 27709-2194, USA.
BMC Public Health. 2024 Jan 20;24(1):240. doi: 10.1186/s12889-024-17670-3.
Community initiatives can shape health behaviors, such as physical activity and dietary habits, across a population and help reduce the risk of developing chronic disease. To achieve this goal and impact health outcomes, Pasadena Vibrant Community aimed to engage communities in an ongoing dialogue about the importance of healthy behaviors, implement and advance community-based strategies to promote health, and improve diet and physical activity behaviors. The initiative was centered around a collaboration between a backbone organization, steering committee, and 7 collaborating organizations funded to implement multicomponent, evidence-based programs.. The common agenda was detailed in a community action plan, which included 19 interventions targeting healthy eating and active living among adults and youth in Pasadena, Texas.
A mixed methods evaluation of the initiative was conducted over 4 years. Data sources included document reviews of quarterly progress reports (n = 86) and supplemental data reports (n = 16) provided by collaborating organizations, annual Steering Committee surveys (n = 4), and interviews conducted with staff from a subset of Collaborating Organizations (n = 4).
The initiative reached over 50,000 community members per year through 19 evidence-based interventions and impacted health outcomes, including knowledge and adoption of healthy eating practices and increased physical activity. Thirty-one systems-level changes were implemented during the initiative, including 16 environmental changes. Steering Committee meetings and shared goals enabled connections, communication, and cooperation, which allowed Collaborating Organizations to address challenges and combine resources to deliver their programs.
Community initiatives can effectively permeate the community by reaching individuals, improving physical activity and dietary habits, and ensuring sustainability. Based on the experience reported here, the success of a community initiative can be facilitated if collaborating organizations come together to implement evidence-based interventions and tailor them to the community, and if they are empowered by significant leadership and supportive collaboration and aligned by a common agenda.
社区活动可以影响整个人群的健康行为，如体育活动和饮食习惯，有助于降低慢性病的发病风险。为实现这一目标并改善健康结果，帕萨迪纳活力社区旨在让社区持续参与有关健康行为重要性的对话，实施和推进促进健康的基于社区的策略，并改善饮食和体育活动行为。该倡议的核心是一个骨干组织、指导委员会以及 7 个合作组织之间的合作，这些组织获得资金支持，实施多方面的、基于证据的项目。共同议程在社区行动计划中详细列出，该计划包括针对德克萨斯州帕萨迪纳市成年人和青少年的 19 项干预措施，旨在促进健康饮食和积极生活。
对该倡议进行了为期 4 年的混合方法评估。数据来源包括对合作组织提供的季度进展报告（n=86）和补充数据报告（n=16）的文件审查、年度指导委员会调查（n=4）以及对合作组织工作人员的访谈（n=4）。
该倡议通过 19 项基于证据的干预措施每年覆盖超过 50000 名社区成员，并影响了健康结果，包括健康饮食实践的知识和采用以及增加体育活动。在该倡议期间实施了 31 项系统层面的变革，包括 16 项环境变革。指导委员会会议和共同目标促进了联系、沟通和合作，使合作组织能够应对挑战并整合资源来实施其项目。
社区活动可以通过覆盖个人、改善体育活动和饮食习惯以及确保可持续性来有效地渗透社区。根据这里报告的经验，如果合作组织共同努力实施基于证据的干预措施并根据社区进行调整，如果他们得到强有力的领导和支持性合作的支持，并通过共同的议程进行协调，社区倡议的成功就可以得到促进。
