Rechis R, Oestman KB, Caballero E, Brewster A, Walsh MT, Basen-Engquist K, Gershenwald JE, Tektiridis JH, Moreno M, Williams PA, Treiman K, Garza PD, Hawk E. Be Well Communities™: mobilizing communities to promote wellness and stop cancer before it starts.
Cancer Causes Control 2021;
32:859-870. [PMID:
34037915 PMCID:
PMC8236479 DOI:
10.1007/s10552-021-01439-9]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2020] [Accepted: 04/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE
Increasingly, cancer centers are delivering population-based approaches to narrow the gap between known cancer prevention strategies and their effective implementation. Leveraging successful healthy community initiatives, MD Anderson developed Be Well Communities™, a model that implements evidence-based actions to directly impact people's lives.
METHODS
In partnership with local organizations, MD Anderson's Be Well Communities team executed and evaluated 16 evidence-based interventions to address community priorities in healthy diets, physical activity, and sun safety. Evaluation included assessing the effectiveness of evidence-based interventions, stakeholders' perceptions of collaboration, and the population-level impact on dietary and physical activity behaviors among students using the School Physical Activity and Nutrition Survey and the System for Observing Fitness Instruction Time. Two-tailed t-tests were used to compare tested parameters at baseline and follow-up. p values less than .05 were considered significant.
RESULTS
This model achieved its early outcomes, including effectively implementing evidence-based interventions, building strong partnerships, increasing access to healthy foods, improving the built environment, and increasing healthy food and water consumption and moderate to vigorous physical activity among students (p < .001).
CONCLUSIONS
Be Well Communities is an effective model for positively impacting community health which could be leveraged by others to deliver evidence-based actions to improve population health.
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