Sustainable childhood obesity prevention through community engagement (SCOPE) program: evaluation of the implementation phase

Abstract

Childhood obesity rates are steadily rising. Sustainable Childhood Obesity Prevention Through Community Engagement (SCOPE) is a community-based participatory action research (PAR) program aimed at preventing childhood obesity. This study aimed to describe community perspectives on, and elicit feedback about, SCOPE's first phase of implementation in two pilot cities in British Columbia, Canada. A case study was implemented using interviews and questionnaires to obtain feedback about SCOPE from two groups: SCOPE coordinators and stakeholders (i.e., individuals and organizations that were a member of the community and engaged with SCOPE coordinators). Participants were recruited via email and (or) by telephone. Coordinators completed a telephone interview. Stakeholders completed a questionnaire and (or) a telephone interview. Thematic analysis was conducted. Participants included 2 coordinators and 15 stakeholders. Participants similarly interpreted SCOPE as a program focused on raising awareness about childhood obesity prevention, while engaging multiple community sectors. Overall, participants valued the program's role in facilitating networking and partnership development, providing evidence-based resources, technical expertise, and contributing funding. Participants felt that SCOPE is sustainable. However, participants felt that barriers to achieving healthy weights among children included those related to the built environment, and social, behavioral, and economic obstacles. Perspectives on factors that facilitated and acted as barriers to SCOPE's first phase of implementation were obtained from the SCOPE communities and may be used to enhance the sustainability of SCOPE and its applicability to other BC communities.

What are the existing barriers to the efficiency of child obesity prevention programmes?

“…Samostatnou kapitolou jsou rodiče z jiných etnických skupin. V tomto případě mohou být překážkou jak jazykové bariéry (7,9,43), tak i jiné vnímání obezity u dětí -v některých skupinách jsou právě obézní děti a děti s nadváhou považovány za zdravé děti (7, 16, 28, 42). V odlišných kulturách je tradiční taktéž úplně jiné slo-žení potravy a různý náhled na zdravý životní styl, tudíž implementace daných doporučení může být v těchto případech velmi komplikovaná (7,24,43).…”

Creating a collective impact on childhood obesity: Lessons from the SCOPE initiative

“…27 Data were managed using a web-based electronic data capture system, exported into Excel (Version 2011) and results were reported using descriptive statistics. An editing analysis approach 28 was used to interpret qualitative data sourced from the partnership tracking tool that classified process evaluation information into broad descriptive categories.…”

“…27 Locally, these champions include SCOPE coordinators and leaders of local or regional organizations (i.e., the mayor, a local health authority, family physician). Provincial champions (i.e., members of SCOPE's Executive and Advisory Teams) have been instrumental in conveying the SCOPE story, and advocating for the use of 'Live 5-2-1-0' across BC.…”

“…In its first two implementation phases, SCOPE measured the effectiveness of community engagement based on stakeholder perspectives 27 and the development and number of cross-sectoral partnerships involved in action planning and implementation. Moving forward, SCOPE will continue to provide the capacity necessary for consistent data collection to standardize measures and reporting.…”

Wayfinding the Live 5-2-1-0 Initiative—At the Intersection between Systems Thinking and Community-Based Childhood Obesity Prevention

“…, local government, Division of Family Practice) in two pilot communities and through this partnership, a network of community-based, multi-sectoral partnerships was established via an intensive community engagement strategy that was rooted in the principles of community based participatory research [ 4 ], and relied heavily on ‘snowball recruitment’. This process of partnership development has been described in detail elsewhere [ 7 , 8 ]. Also, proof of concept initiatives that shared or supported Live 5-2-1-0 materialized as a result of these multi-sectoral partnerships and community specific action plans were developed that were tailored to the communities’ unique needs, strengths, and priorities for action.…”