title: Communities putting prevention to work: local evaluation of community-based strategies designed to make healthy living easier.
abstract: This introduction is an overview of the articles presented in this supplement that describe implementation and evaluation activities conducted as part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC's) Communities Putting Prevention to Work (CPPW) initiative. CPPW was one of the largest federal investments ever to combat chronic diseases in the United States. CPPW supported high-impact, jurisdiction-wide policy, systems, and environmental changes to improve health by increasing access to physical activity and healthy foods, and by decreasing tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke. The articles included in this supplement describe implementation and evaluation efforts of strategies implemented as part of CPPW by local awardees. This supplement is intended to guide the evidence base for public health interventions on the basis of jurisdiction-wide policy and environmental-level improvements and to encourage rigorous evaluation of the public health interventions.
authors.affiliation: Division of Community Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA. Electronic address: rsoler@cdc.gov.
authors.forename: Robin E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Soler
authors.affiliation: Public Health and Survey Research Division, ICF International, Atlanta, GA, USA.
authors.forename: Kathleen L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Whitten
authors.affiliation: Public Health and Survey Research Division, ICF International, Atlanta, GA, USA.
authors.forename: Phyllis G
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Ottley
mesh_terms: D002487:Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S.; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000517:prevention & control*; D003153:Community Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods* / Q000458:organization & administration; D006801:Humans; D009043:Motor Activity; D018673:Nutrition Policy; D009765:Obesity / Q000517:prevention & control; D015397:Program Evaluation; D015980:Public Health Practice; D014029:Tobacco Use Disorder / Q000517:prevention & control; D014481:United States
keywords: Chronic disease; Evaluation; Obesity; Physical activity; Public health; Second hand smoke exposure; Tobacco use