The Utility of Physical Activity Micro-Grants: The ParticipACTION Teen Challenge Program

Mobilizing community-driven health promotion through community granting programs: a rapid systematic review

BACKGROUND

Effective health promotion responds to the unique needs of communities. Community granting programs that fund community-driven health promotion initiatives are a potential mechanism to meet those unique needs. While numerous community health-focused programs are available, the various strategies used by granting programs to foster engagement, administer grants and support awardees have not been systematically evaluated. This rapid systematic review explores the administration of community granting programs and how various program components impact process and population health outcomes.

METHODS

A systematic search was conducted across three databases: Medline, SocINDEX, and Political Science Database. Single reviewers completed screening, consistent with a rapid review protocol. Studies describing or evaluating community granting programs for health or public health initiatives were included. Data regarding program characteristics were extracted and studies were evaluated for quality. A convergent integrated approach was used to analyze quantitative and qualitative findings.

RESULTS

Thirty-five community granting programs, described in 36 studies, were included. Most were descriptive reports or qualitative studies conducted in the USA. Program support for grant awardees included technical assistance, workshops and training, program websites, and networking facilitation. While most programs reported on process outcomes, few reported on community or health outcomes; such outcomes were positive when reported. Programs reported that many funded projects were likely sustainable beyond program funding, due to the development of awardee skills, new partnerships, and securing additional funding. From the perspectives of program staff and awardees, facilitators included the technical assistance and workshops provided by the programs, networking amongst awardees, and the involvement of community members. Barriers included short timelines to develop proposals and allocate funds.

CONCLUSIONS

This review provides a comprehensive overview of health-related community granting programs. Grant awardees benefit from technical assistance, workshops, and networking with other awardees. Project sustainability is enhanced by the development of new community partnerships and grant-writing training for awardees. Community granting programs can be a valuable strategy to drive community health, with several key elements that enhance community mobilization.

REGISTRATION

PROSPERO #CRD42023399364.

Evaluation Methods in Community Microgrant Programs for Health Promotion: A Scoping Review

CONTEXT

Evaluating community-based health promotion programs is an essential aspect of public health programming to ensure evidence-based practices, justify limited resource allocation, and share knowledge about promising strategies. Community microgrant schemes represent a viable strategy to strengthen local health promotion, yet limited guidance exists surrounding the evaluation of such programs.

OBJECTIVE

This research aimed to map methods used in evaluating community microgrants programs for health promotion.

DESIGN

A scoping review in accordance with Joanna Briggs Institute methodology.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

Peer-reviewed academic and gray literature, which evaluated processes and/or outcomes of nonprescriptive community-based microgrant program for health promotion in high-income countries.

STUDY SELECTION

Literature was identified through MEDLINE, Scopus, CINAHL, and EMBASE databases, Google and DuckDuckGo browsers, and hand-searching key reference lists. Articles were screened by title, abstract, and then full-text.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Review findings were mapped according to included sources' evaluation methodologies.

RESULTS

Eighteen academic publications describing 14 microgrant programs met the inclusion criteria. These spanned the years 1996 to 2020 and were located across 5 countries. Evaluation methods were very similar in terms of design (mixed-methods case studies) and focus (both processes and outcomes) and yet varied widely with regard to measurements and data collection. Few made explicit the use of an evaluation framework, chose to involve stakeholders in the evaluation process, or discussed application and dissemination of evaluation findings.

DISCUSSION

Community-based microgrant programs for health promotion are a promising model in diverse settings and with various health priorities and targets, yet robust evaluations of their implementation and effectiveness are lacking. The review highlights the need to further develop and support evaluation practices in public health, even in small-scale programs with limited budgets.

Sustaining Equality and Equity. A Scoping Review of Interventions Directed towards Promoting Access to Leisure Time Physical Activity for Children and Youth

Promoting access to leisure time physical activity (LTPA) opportunities for children and youth is crucial to promote public health. Yet, ensuring sustainable interventions in this field requires theoretically informed approaches to guide the processes of developing, implementing and evaluating LTPA programs. The objective of this review was to examine how concepts of equality and equity have been operationalized in LTPA interventions for children and youth in order to identify facilitating factors and barriers to LTPA access connected to such concepts. Using a pre-piloted search strategy, three electronic databases were searched for studies of interventions aiming to promote access to LTPA in organized or community sport for children and youth. Following a screening process, 27 publications representing 25 unique interventions were included. Through careful examination of the aim and target group of each intervention, they emerged in three categories in accordance with their (implicit) understandings of equality and equity. Also, considering the processes through which the interventions within each category had been implemented leads to the conclusion that an explicit theoretical understanding of the aim of interventions will increase communal knowledge among intervention stakeholders about which facilitating factors to pursue and barriers to bypass to contribute to more socially sustainable LTPA programs.

A Qualitative Exploration of a Worksite Wellness Mini-Grant Program

Mini-grant programs are an increasingly popular method for outside organizations (eg, non-profits, state agencies) to support wellness initiatives. However, little is known about mini-grant programs in worksites. The present study explored the implementation and outcomes of a worksite wellness mini-grant program. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 wellness champions representing 12 worksites that were involved in a mini-grant program over a 4-year span. Interviews focused on general use, barriers and facilitators, and outcomes of the mini-grant initiatives. Mini-grants were generally used to support a short-term activity, such as purchasing food, which was not allowed per grant funding, or supporting a one-time event-this type of use diverged from recommended use of funds. Participants reported that outcomes from the mini-grant initiates were largely positive, highlighting culture shifts and increased awareness/perception of employer support for wellness. Barriers included culture (eg, employee attitudes, motivation), environment (eg, infrastructure, weather), and worksite characteristics (eg, multiple locations, number of employees), while facilitators included employee interest and involvement, established wellness culture, awareness and accessibility (eg, providing options, education), and support (eg, employer support, support from outside organizations). There was overlap between certain barriers and facilitators, indicating key areas of focus for future research and mini-grant programs.