A qualitative study of a nutrition working group.
The Behavioral Change Consortium (BCC) Nutrition Workgroup (NWG) is a multidisciplinary collaboration of representatives from BCC sites and federal agencies. Its mission is to improve measurement of dietary variables. This article presents findings from a qualitative study of perceived effectiveness of the workgroup collaboration. Twelve in-depth interviews were conducted and examined for common themes using the constant comparison method. Themes contributing to perceived effectiveness included: funding and additional resources; invested, committed, and collegial members; strong leadership, clearly articulated goals, and regular communication. Influences seen as reducing effectiveness were: distance, disparate nature of the studies, limited time, and problems associated with starting collaboration after the primary studies had begun data collection. NWG members felt that the workgroup would continue to be successful; however, there were concerns about responsibility for writing and authorship of manuscripts and the need for continued funding to ensure full participation and productivity.
Greene
Geoffrey W
GW
Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences at the University of Rhode Island in Kingston, Rhode Island, USA.
Nebeling
Linda C
LC
Greaney
Mary L
ML
Lindsay
Ana C
AC
Hardwick
Cary K
CK
Toobert
Deborah J
DJ
Resnicow
Ken
K
Williams
Geoffrey C
GC
Elliot
Diane L
DL
Goldman Sher
Tamara
T
McGregor
Holly A
HA
Domas
Andrea
A
DeFrancesco
Carol A
CA
Peterson
Karen E
KE
D026683:Advisory Committees / Q000458:organization & administration*; D035843:Biomedical Research; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D004032:Diet / Q000592:standards*; D019587:Dietary Supplements / Q000592:standards; D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D033183:Interdisciplinary Communication; D007373:Interinstitutional Relations; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008019:Life Style; D009316:National Institutes of Health (U.S.); D052756:Nutritional Sciences; D019982:Organizational Case Studies; D009937:Organizational Objectives; D036301:Qualitative Research; D014481:United States