The implementation of a participatory manuscript development process with Native American tribal awardees as part of the CDC Communities Putting Prevention to Work initiative: Challenges and opportunities

Abstract

Objective In 2009, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention funded 50 communities, including three tribal awardees, to implement environmental approaches to address obesity and smoking through the Communities Putting Prevention to Work initiative. The tribes were among the selected awardees offered training support for analyzing, writing, and publishing their findings. This article describes the process of translating the workshops, guided by a participatory framework, for implementation with the tribes. Methods Nine participants from three tribes attended the workshops in Decatur, Georgia, in August and October of 2012: 1) a one-day pre-conference workshop focused on integrating both Indigenous and academic evaluation methods; 2) a 4 day data analysis workshop; and 3) a 5 day scientific writing workshop. Participants were provided with technical assistance following the workshops. Results Participants viewed the workshops positively and have continued to develop their manuscripts. To date one tribal awardee has submitted their manuscript for publication. Conclusion The participatory manuscript development process described here is the first of its kind outlining a pathway for tribal community health practitioners to translate and publish their work. Further development of this process could increase the number of community-developed manuscripts, thereby advancing the field of translational intervention science and leading to improved health equity.

Promoting Physical Activity Among Native American Youth: a Systematic Review of the Methodology and Current Evidence of Physical Activity Interventions and Community-wide Initiatives

“…Wide variation was found in the types of theory mentioned and the extent to which theory was discussed. Social cognitive theory 17 and grounded theory 13,57 were mentioned, along with concepts or conceptual frameworks that emphasized biculturalism 58 , cultural humility 50 and using a holistic approach 51 .…”

“…13,17,53,56–59 Three initiatives (23%) used some form of community assessment 17,53,55 ; however, two of these initiatives focused predominantly on evaluating the food environment versus the one that evaluated environmental and policy factors influencing physical activity 53 . Various culturally competent approaches were discussed including using digital storytelling 53 , a modified Talking Circle 17 , and a workshop series integrating Indigenous evaluation methods 50 . Only one initiative had some form of non-Native comparison group 49 but more than a third (n=5; 38%) included more than one tribe 17,49–51,54 .…”

“…Concepts or conceptual frameworks emphasizing cultural traditions and a holistic approach were also discussed as valuable. 50,51,58 Still, little is known about the theoretical underpinnings of increasing physical activity among Native youth in a specific tribe and generally among American Indian and Alaska Native communities. This is problematic because it limits developing interventions using socio-ecological models that target intersections between individual behavior changes and environmental, policy, and systems approaches.…”

Communities putting prevention to work: Local evaluation of community-based strategies designed to make healthy living easier

“…Articles about traditional evaluations of interventions include analyses of joint-use agreements (Burbage et al, in this issue), trail use (Clark et al, in this issue), student consumption of school meals after nutrition standards changed (Gase et al, in this issue), and an educational media campaign about sugar content in beverages (Boles et al, in this issue). Finally, dissemination of findings is described in a paper by Blue Bird Jernigan et al (in this issue), with emphasis on a workshop for Native American authors.…”

“…Battista et al (in this issue) evaluated efforts to increase physical activity opportunities and access to healthy food for low-income North Carolina children who live in the mountains in preschool settings. In addition, CPPW served three Native American tribal communities and used a community-based participatory research model to develop training for them in scientific writing (Blue Bird Jernigan et al, in this issue). …”