title: Common pathways toward informing policy and environmental strategies to promote health: a study of CDC's Prevention Research Centers.
abstract: This study examined the roles academic researchers can play to inform policy and environmental strategies that promote health and prevent disease. Prevention Research Centers (PRCs) engage in academic-community partnerships to conduct applied public health research. Interviews were used to collect data on the roles played by 32 PRCs to inform policy and environmental strategies that were implemented between September 2009 and September 2010. Descriptive statistics were calculated in SAS 9.2. A difference in roles played was observed depending on whether strategies were policy or environmental. Of the policy initiatives, the most common roles were education, research, and partnership. In contrast, the most prevalent roles the PRCs played in environmental approaches were research and providing health promotion resources. Academic research centers play various roles to help inform policy and environmental strategies.
authors.affiliation: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA ioi7@cdc.gov.
authors.forename: Elizabeth M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Neri
authors.affiliation: Total Therapeutic Management, Kennesaw, GA, USA.
authors.forename: Kate J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Stringer
authors.affiliation: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA.
authors.forename: Antonia J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Spadaro
authors.affiliation: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA.
authors.forename: Marie R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Ballman
authors.affiliation: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA.
authors.forename: Jo Anne
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Grunbaum
mesh_terms: D002487:Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S.; D003159:Community-Institutional Relations; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D004032:Diet; D015444:Exercise; D015438:Health Behavior; D006266:Health Education / Q000458:organization & administration; D006291:Health Policy; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D011322:Primary Prevention / Q000458:organization & administration*; D011634:Public Health; D012106:Research / Q000458:organization & administration; D016540:Smoking Cessation; D014481:United States
keywords: chronic disease; community-based participatory research; public health laws/policies