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Fifty Communities Putting Prevention to Work: Accelerating Chronic Disease Prevention Through Policy, Systems and Environmental Change

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Abstract

The burden of preventable chronic diseases is straining our nation’s health and economy. Diseases caused by obesity and tobacco use account for the largest portions of this preventable burden. CDC funded 50 communities in 2010 to implement policy, systems, and environmental (PSE) interventions in a 2-year initiative. Funded communities developed PSE plans to reduce obesity, tobacco use, and second-hand smoke exposure for their combined 55 million residents. Community outcome objectives and milestones were categorized by PSE interventions as they related to media, access, promotion, pricing, and social support. Communities estimated population reach based on their jurisdiction’s census data and target populations. The average proportion of each community’s population that was reached was calculated for each intervention category. Outcome objectives that were achieved within 12 months of program initiation were identified from routine program records. The average proportion of a community’s jurisdictional population reached by a specific intervention varied across interventions. Mean population reach for obesity-prevention interventions was estimated at 35%, with 14 (26%) interventions covering over 50% of the jurisdictional populations. For tobacco prevention, mean population reach was estimated at 67%, with 16 (84%) interventions covering more than 50% of the jurisdictional populations. Within 12 months, communities advanced over one-third of their obesity and tobacco-use prevention strategies. Tobacco interventions appeared to have higher potential population reach than obesity interventions within this initiative. Findings on the progress and potential reach of this major initiative may help inform future chronic disease prevention efforts.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Community Health, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 4770 Buford Hwy., MS-K45, Atlanta, GA, 30341, USA

    Rebecca Bunnell, Robin Soler & Rebecca Payne

  2. ICF International, Atlanta, GA, 30329, USA

    Dara O’Neil

  3. Division of Population Health, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, 30341, USA

    Wayne H. Giles

  4. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, 30341, USA

    Janet Collins

  5. National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA

    Ursula Bauer

Authors
  1. Rebecca Bunnell
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  2. Dara O’Neil
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  3. Robin Soler
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  4. Rebecca Payne
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  5. Wayne H. Giles
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  6. Janet Collins
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  7. Ursula Bauer
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Communities Putting Prevention to Work Program Group

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Correspondence to Rebecca Bunnell.

Additional information

The findings and conclusions in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the CDC. Please check Appendix section for the CPPW Program Group.

Appendix: CPPW Program Group

Appendix: CPPW Program Group

CDC-Atlanta: Elizabeth Reimels, Suzanne Gates, Amy Holmes-Chavez, Carolyn Brooks, Elijah West, Jeff McKenna. From ICF International: Alicia Swann. From the CPPW projects: Teri Chafin (Jefferson County, Alabama); Jim McVay (Alabama); Donald Gates (Pima County, Arizona); Andrea Ridgway (Arkansas), Linda Aragon (Los Angeles County, California); Bonnie Broderick (Santa Clara County, California); Tracy Delaney (San Diego County, California); Paul Simon (Los Angeles County, California); Lisa Pivec (Cherokee Nation); Stacy Weinberg (Tri-County Health Department, Colorado); Vance Farrow (Washington, District of Columbia); Claude Dharamraj (Pinellas County, Florida); Yolanda G. Martinez (Orange County, Florida); Karen Weller (Miami-Dade County, Florida); Sandra Elizabeth Ford (DeKalb County, Georgia); Jeff Muse (Great Lakes Inter-tribal Council); Dileep G. Bal (Kauai, Hawaii); Lorrin W. Pang (Maui, Hawaii); Adam Becker (Chicago, Illinois); Stacy Ignoffo (Chicago, Illinois); Christina Welter (Cook County/Chicago, Illinois); Dawn M. Adams (Indiana), Bonnie Mapes (Iowa); Matt Zahn (Louisville/Jefferson County, Kentucky); Debra Wigand (Maine); Anne McHugh (Boston, Massachusetts); Margaret Reid (Boston, Massachusetts); Rachel Cohen (Minnesota); Barry Freedman (St. Louis County, Missouri); Mary Balluff (Douglas County/Omaha, Nebraska); Deborah Williams (Southern Nevada); Elizabeth Kilgore (New York City, New York); Lynn Silver (New York City, New York); Ruth Petersen (North Carolina); Stacy Wegley (Hamilton County, Ohio); Sonia Manhas (Multnomah County, Oregon); Giridhar Mallya (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania); Kristyn Yepa (Pueblo of Jemez); Ana Novais (Rhode Island); Sharon Biggers (South Carolina); Alisa Haushalter (Nashville/Davidson County, Tennessee); Philip Huang (Austin/Travis County, Texas); Christine Rutherford Stuart (San Antonio, Texas); James Krieger (Seattle/King County, Washington); Joe Barker (West Virginia); Susan Uttech (Wisconsin).

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Bunnell, R., O’Neil, D., Soler, R. et al. Fifty Communities Putting Prevention to Work: Accelerating Chronic Disease Prevention Through Policy, Systems and Environmental Change. J Community Health 37, 1081–1090 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-012-9542-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-012-9542-3

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