Community Health Participatory Planning CHPP: PHASE III
The Twelve-week Sessions
Affecting behavior and community changes are the primary goals to remember when planning your sessions. Make the sessions one hour in length. Invite various respected community resource persons to assist in delivering the content of each session. It is important to remember the value of everyone’s time. Attendance can be near 80% when the sessions are kept concise, dynamic, and interactive. In addition, we suggest you provide refreshments for session participants, if resources are available!
Starting with the first session, members are encouraged to walk for health, transportation, fitness, and wellness consistent with their own perceived needs and interests. All changes, however, are voluntary. No walking classes are held.
PROGRAM OVERVIEW Session 1 - is enrollment of participants and orientation--a review of the nature and content of the program. Session topics/major activities: Potlucks--to enhance information exchange, develop a further sense of community, and promote healthful eating behaviors, Sessions 6 and 12 include potluck meals. Participants bring a healthy, low-fat dish (less than 20% fat) along with the recipe. In these sessions, interactions and discussions are less structured so that participants have time to informally interact with each other.
|
DETAIL OF SESSIONS
Session 1 - Orientation and enrollment in the 12-week Community Health Participatory Planning program.
The Program:
a. discussion of:
- implications of sedentary lifestyle.
- prevalence of obesity, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, diabetes, colon cancer, etc.
- desires to do something about the prevalence of chronic disease.
- barriers, problems, how nothing is going to happen unless WE do it.
- the 12 week process for both personal and the community’s health.
- the purpose (designing and implementing a plan to promote walking).
- how commitment is essential. With participation of one-hour per week, the planning process WILL result in a targeted media-based community physical activity (walking) campaign that will get results.
- A bit of dreaming about what COULD be achieved together.
- The level of commitment for 12 weeks.
- distribute program schedule,
- ask all to join, complete registration forms, if interested.
- Distribution of logs for participants to record walking behavior (bouts of 10 minutes and more).
Note: Sessions 2-6 focus on dimensions of walking in the target community, as noted in the box. In addition to imparting baseline information on specific topic areas, the sessions served as a springboard for reflection, discussion, and the opportunity to further examine the community’s overall walking environmental context--exploring the social, policy, administrative, and physical barriers, as well as assets of the community.
Session 2 - Prevalence and consequences of a sedentary lifestyle
A presentation on the prevalence and consequences of a sedentary lifestyle is provided.
Health Screening: For those interested, a personal health screening is offered one hour prior to Session 2 or after the session. Included in the health screening: physiologic measures of weight, height, blood pressure, resting heart rate, and assessment of personal physical activity behaviors using the Behavior Risk Factor Survey Questions (See Appendix NEW NUMBER NEEDED 3-a, pg 60). This provides a profile of individual and community risks and behaviors. The health screenings are not mandatory. The health screening is repeated prior to and after Session 11.
Session 3 - Benefits of walking
This session commences with the distribution of individual health screening results. The presenter interprets, and the group discusses, the results.
Session 4 and 5 – See Overview chart above for session topics.
Session 6 - Task Force Identification/Potluck
At this session, members identify issues for further investigation in task forces and, potentially, for later advocacy. Identified by the participants, these often include:
- social, policy and environmental barriers;
- community walking assets, such as trails, indoor sites, worksite programs;
- potential partners, such as colleges, hospitals, schools, worksite programs, civic organizations, and how to involve them;
- ethnic and socioeconomic issues;
- funding sources;
- community stakeholders and leaders;
- kids and school programs;
- funding sources such as Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, State Department of Health, CDC, local foundations, local businesses and industry;
- media outlets, etc.
Individual task forces are formed based on the topics. Participants can chose on which task force to serve. Outside people resources who have a particular expertise or represent a certain constituency group can be invited to join specific task forces.
Note: During Session 11, each community walking task force will be expected to present a 2-5 page summary of the current status and recommendations for change.
Developing Task Forces
A task force is a group of people who work on a specific aspect of the campaign. Dividing the campaign into specific areas of interest, then assigning those areas to a task force, ensures that all aspects of the campaign will be addressed.
The types and number of task forces may depend on your specific campaign goals. Assignments to the task forces should be voluntary and by interest. However, important task forces, such as fundraising and working with the media, may require advance recruiting by the community organizer to ensure the right individuals are represented on the teams.
Each task force should have a recorder. The recorder is responsible for providing a written report to the community organizer on Week 11 of the educational sessions. This report should contain contacts, ideas, discussion points, handouts, local expert opinions and any other information the task force feels could enhance the campaign.
Note: The imperative task forces of the WHEELING WALKS campaign were: (1) Working with the Media, (2) Fundraising, and (3) Environment and Policy. These task forces worked together to be sure we purchased adequate advertisement time on TV and radio and secured sufficient newspaper coverage to fully saturate our community, as well as mobilize the resources for the continuation of the campaign impact.
Note: The term media refers to paid and earned media. Both types need to be thoroughly discussed by the respective task forces. (See Chapter 4 and 7 for more information about paid and earned media.)
Sessions 7-11
Sessions 7-11 begin with 15 minutes of questions and answers related to personal and community walking, the underlying causes of ill health, and the role of the organizational structure and policy for promoting walking. For the next 25 minutes, the group separates into its specific task forces to address needs assessments, problem solving, and planning. Remaining time is utilized to address issues brought before the larger group.
Task force members may hold additional meetings and gather information outside the regularly scheduled weekly sessions. Presenters and Steering Committee members are available to assist the task forces upon request. Presenters and Steering Committee members can also help with drafting the separate task force proposals.
Session 11 - The physical activity assessment and personal health screening, as mentioned in Session 2, is repeated. Task force reports are due this session.
Session 12 - Review results of the physical activity assessment and personal health screenings conducted in Session 11. Finalize task force recommendations and enjoy the final potluck.
Community Health Participatory Planning CHPP: PHASE IV
The Next Step - Form a Community Advisory Board
After completing the 12-Week educational session, ask for and seek volunteers to remain with the project as members of a Community Advisory Board. This board will serve as a sounding group for the intricacies of the campaign. They will become the champions of the campaign and be your eyes and ears in the community.
It is important to keep the participants of the Community Health Participatory Planning program regularly informed, even if they choose to not become members of the Community Advisory Board. If the planning sessions were as successful as you designed them to be, the former participants may be willing to help with a special project, act as an advocate at their school or workplace, offer to contact specific groups and individuals to start walking, or even just attend public health events.
Community Advisory Board Activities
Now that you have a well informed and committed group of individuals, you are ready to plan the campaign agenda. The board members may participate and assist in many different ways. They may:
- greet community members at an event
- provide ideas
- proof read handout
- stuff envelopes
- be influential in securing the support of the mayor or other community officials
- assist with a fundraising contacts
Note: Some board members may not be willing to do campaign tasks themselves, but know others that will.
Meetings
The Community Advisory Board should meet at least quarterly between the end of the planning process and the implementation of the eight-week mass media campaign. The group should schedule a meeting prior to the campaign Kick Off and a wrap-up meeting after the campaign. If data is being collected, schedule a final results meeting to update the board of the findings. Schedule this meeting after data collection and analysis.
Other Responsibilities
During the campaign, the board serves as the key group of participants. They continue to promote policy and environment changes and attempt to attend all events. Invite the board to attend all campaign events, participate in walking efforts at their worksite and church, and alert you to media and newsletter possibilities. Recognize them as Walking Campaign Community Advisory Board Members whenever you can.
Note: This meeting can be held in conjunction with a campaign results press conference for the media.