Can Community Coaching Enhance Coalitions’ Capacity to Create Healthy Nutrition and Physical Activity Environments for Young Children in Rural Communi...

Can Community Coaching Enhance Coalitions’ Capacity to Create Healthy Nutrition and Physical Activity Environments for Young Children in Rural Communities?: Results and Best Practices from a Seven-State Study
5:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. | Independence I | 
Moderator: Amy Mobley, PhD, University of Connecticut
Speakers: Abby Gold, PhD, MPH, RD, North Dakota State University; Amy Mobley, PhD, University of Connecticut; Sandy Procter, PhD, RD, LD; Kansas State University Research & Extension; Carol Smathers, MS, MPH, Ohio State University Extension
Results of mixed-methods analyses from a five-year, quasi-experimental study evaluating whether Community Coaching enhances community capacity to create environments that support healthy eating and physical activity to prevent childhood obesity, and subsequent best practices resources will be presented. Two low-income, rural communities within seven Midwestern states (IN, KS, MI, OH, ND, SD, WI) were randomly assigned as intervention (Community Coaching from a trained coach) or comparison communities. Outcomes were assessed using previously validated instruments (coalition self-assessments, parental perceptions of neighborhood, early childhood and built environments), self-reflections from coaches and staff, ripple effect mapping, and interviews of key stakeholders and coaches.
Learning Objectives:
Identify unique supports and barriers related to efforts of low-income, rural communities to implement strategies across social ecological levels for prevention of childhood obesity.
Define the role of and best practices related to community coaching in building coalition capacity to prevent childhood obesity.
Practice and develop skills using project resources for engaging community health coalitions to build capacity for implementing policy, system, and environment changes.