Conceptualizing dissemination research and activity: the case of the Canadian Heart Health Initiative.
Cardiovascular diseases are now the world's leading cause of death. To reduce high rates of such preventable premature deaths, evidence-based approaches to heart health promotion must be disseminated across public health systems. To succeed, we must build capacity to disseminate strategies that are practical and effective. However, we know little about such dissemination, and we lack both conceptual frameworks to guide our thinking and appropriate scientific methodologies. This article presents conceptual and analytic frameworks that integrate several approaches to understanding and studying dissemination processes within public health systems. This work is based on the Canadian Heart Health Dissemination Project, a research program examining a national heart health dissemination initiative. The primary focus is the development of a systematic protocol for measuring levels of capacity and dissemination, and determining successful conditions for, and barriers to, capacity and dissemination, as well as the nature of the relationship between these key concepts.
Elliott
Susan J
SJ
School of Geography and Geology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. elliotts@mcmaster.ca
O'Loughlin
Jennifer
J
Robinson
Kerry
K
Eyles
John
J
Cameron
Roy
R
Harvey
Dexter
D
Raine
Kim
K
Gelskey
Dale
D
D002170:Canada; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control*; D054626:Consumer Health Information / Q000379:methods*; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000517:prevention & control; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods*; D006302:Health Services Research / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D033181:Information Dissemination / Q000379:methods*; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D009936:Organizational Innovation; D011635:Public Health Administration