Community Perspectives on Obesity Prevention in Children Workshop Summaries (2009) / Chapter Skim
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6 Research and Advocacy Groups: How Does Evidence Inform Policy?
6 Research and Advocacy Groups: How Does Evidence Inform Policy?
Pages 47-62
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From page 47... ...
They also marshal the evidence and serve as advocates to help policy makers adopt, endorse, and support policies and programs aimed at preventing obesity. The messages that emerged from the four presenters reflect their experiences in presenting evidence to very different audiences, including grassroots organizations, health economists, policy makers with varying levels of familiarity with obesity-related policies, and others.
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From page 48... ...
According to Rebecca Flournoy, Associate Director, PolicyLink, Oakland, California, convincing policy makers about the role of community environments in childhood obesity means communicating research findings in compelling ways; indeed, if the issue is compelling enough, policies may be enacted even absent the most definitive evidence, as occurred with tobacco use. Derek Birnie, Executive Director, Delridge Neighborhoods Development Association, Seattle, Washington, described how, as a community organizer, he serves as a bridge to grassroots groups, researchers, and policy makers in his work with the King County Food and Fitness Initiative.
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From page 49... ...
Many people, including policy makers, frame the issue in terms of personal responsibility: individuals can solve the problem by eating less and exercising more. Levi suggested that an effective response is to acknowledge personal responsibility but then to question the environmental obstacles to healthier individual behaviors.
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From page 50... ...
Yet because so much of the debate about prevention is centered around money, the Trust undertook a study to model the savings associated with communitylevel obesity prevention. The study, funded by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and The California Endowment and conducted in collaboration with other organizations, yielded findings that were released in the report Prevention for a Healthier America (Trust for America's Health, 2008)
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From page 51... ...
The bottom line, Levi concluded, is that many policy makers, including President Obama, support community-level obesity prevention. There is still a long way to go, however, in reaching other influential policy makers who are less receptive.
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From page 52... ...
The research community's traditogether before you get a policy tional framework of levels of evidence movement." -- Allison Karpyn has at its pinnacle the systematic review of randomized controlled trials, followed by other types of controlled studies (see box above and, for example, Sackett et al., 2000)
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From page 53... ...
It is not enough to generate data and hope that policy makers will use them. Instead, Karpyn suggested a different paradigm in which researchers and advocates collaborate on effective ways to present research results so they will lead to desired policy changes.
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From page 54... ...
CONNECTINg RESEARCH AND ACTION Ms. Flournoy explained that PolicyLink is a national research and action institute that advances policies aimed at achieving economic and social equity by "lifting up what works." Its Center for Health and Place works to create neighborhood conditions that encourage health.
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From page 55... ...
ORGANIZING FINDING AND CLIMATE INFORMATION / COALITION RESEARCH READY BUILDING POLICY CHANGE FOR CHANGE MAKING A MOBILIZATION PL AN AND COMMUNICATIONS FIguRE 6-3 The advocacy process, in which research is part of a larger whole.
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From page 56... ...
Making the leap to the role played by community environments requires that organizations like PolicyLink communicate research findings in compelling ways, such as packaging quantitative data; illustrating with maps and images; and recounting stories, especially successes. For example, PolicyLink, the California Center for Public Health Advocacy, and the Center for Health Policy Research at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
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From page 57... ...
RESEARCH AND ADVOCACY GROUPS Figure 3-4a.eps bitmap image Figure 3-4b.eps bitmap image FIguRE 6-4 Mapping made clear that Louisville's predominantly African American Figure 3-4c.eps neighborhoods had few supermarkets but numerous convenience stores and fast bitmap image food restaurants.
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From page 58... ...
In his role with the King County Food and Fitness Initiative (KCFFI) , in which the Delridge Neighborhoods Development Association is a partner, he serves as a bridge between grassroots leaders, who are passionate about what they are experiencing in their everyday lives, and the more systematic approaches of researchers and policy experts.
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From page 59... ...
Enthusiasm is strongest when the KCFFI strategy is linked with other regional initiatives focused on smart growth and economic development. Birnie closed by summarizing some lessons he has learned through his work: • Producing convincing data should be a priority, but community leaders must find effective ways to convey the data to decision makers.
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From page 60... ...
Flournoy cited data from the Fresh Food Financing Initiative, first developed by The Food Trust, which showed benefits in terms of jobs created, new retail space, and housing values when supermarkets in underserved areas were supported. Levi said that the Trust's report, which he had discussed in his presentation, had resonated with policy makers who want to believe prevention saves money.
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From page 61... ...
1 RESEARCH AND ADVOCACY GROUPS collect and share best practices, data, and other evidence; communicate evidence in ways that can break through the "information overload" faced by policy makers; and look for ways to keep obesity prevention efforts on the policy agenda.
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