title: Increasing community capacity and decreasing prevalence of overweight and obesity in a community based intervention among Australian adolescents.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Community capacity building is a promising approach in reducing childhood obesity. The objective was to determine changes in capacity over a 3 year intervention (2005-2008) in schools and whether greater increases in capacity were associated with greater decreases in overweight/obesity.
  
  
  METHODS
  "It's your Move!" (IYM) was an obesity prevention project, in 12 Australian secondary schools (5 intervention; 7 comparison), that aimed to increase community capacity to promote healthy eating and physical activity. Capacity was assessed pre/post intervention using the 'Community Readiness to Change (RTC)' tool. Comparisons from baseline to follow-up were tested using Wilcoxon Signed-Ranks and results plotted against changes (Newcombe's paired differences) in prevalence of overweight/obesity (WHO standards).
  
  
  RESULTS
  RTC increased in intervention schools (p=0.04) over time but not for comparison schools (p=0.50). The intervention group improved on 5 of 6 dimensions and the three intervention schools that increased three levels on the RTC scale each had significant reductions in overweight/obesity prevalence.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There were marked increases in capacity in the intervention schools and those with greater increases had greater decreases in the prevalence of overweight/obesity. Community-based obesity prevention efforts should specifically target increasing community capacity as a proximal indicator of success.
authors.affiliation: WHO Collaborating Centre for Obesity Prevention, Deakin University, Locked Bag 20000, Geelong, VIC 3220, Australia. lynne.millar@deakin.edu.au
authors.forename: Lynne
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Millar
authors.forename: Narelle
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Robertson
authors.forename: Steven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Allender
authors.forename: Melanie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nichols
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bennett
authors.forename: Boyd
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Swinburn
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001315:Australia / Q000453:epidemiology; D057191:Capacity Building; D003153:Community Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D005260:Female; D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000517:prevention & control; D050177:Overweight / Q000517:prevention & control*; D015995:Prevalence; D012572:School Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration