title: Finding common ground: perspectives on community-based childhood obesity prevention.
abstract: To support successful and inclusive community organizing for childhood obesity prevention, this research identified stakeholder perspectives on what communities should do to prevent childhood obesity. It employed factor analysis on statement sorts (Q methodology) conducted by 95 people in an upstate New York community. These participants sorted 36 statements about the issue by how much he or she agreed or disagreed with each. Participants were recruited through strategic snowball sampling to sample a variety of perspectives. The four resulting factors, or perspectives, were interpreted in the context of presort demographic surveys and postsort interviews. This research found one stance that fits the environmental perspective common in public health. The other three factors indicate important variations among perspectives centered on individual responsibility, ranging from libertarian to technocratic views. However, overall, results revealed a substantial degree of agreement among the four perspectives, including on providing access to family activities and on making fruits and vegetables more available and affordable, for example, through subsidies. This article points to common ground for community action on childhood obesity prevention, highlights areas likely to generate considerable contention, and shows whose views are not being accounted for in, at least, this community's childhood obesity prevention project.
authors.affiliation: University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, USA.
authors.forename: Christine M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Porter
authors.forename: David L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Pelletier
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health; D003256:Community Participation / Q000379:methods; D004777:Environment; D005260:Female; D005523:Food Supply / Q000191:economics* / Q000592:standards; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009043:Motor Activity; D009518:New York; D009765:Obesity / Q000517:prevention & control*; D016487:Parenting; D011057:Politics; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012107:Research Design; D011049:Social Control Policies / Q000592:standards*; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult