title: Operational Implementation of the Healthy Communities Study: How Communities Shape Children's Health.
abstract: The Healthy Communities Study (HCS) is examining how characteristics of community programs and policies targeting childhood obesity are related to childhood diet, physical activity, and obesity outcomes. The study involves selected districts and public schools in 130 communities; families recruited through schools; and data collected at the community, school, household, and child levels. Data collection took place in two waves-Wave 1 in Spring 2012 and Wave 2 from 2013 to 2015-with analysis to be completed by August 2016. This paper describes operational elements of the HCS, including recruitment activities, field operations, training of data collectors, human subjects protection, and quality assurance and quality control procedures. Experienced trainers oversaw and conducted all training, including training of (1) district and school recruitment staff; (2) telephone interviewers for household screening and recruitment; (3) field data collectors for conducting household data collection; and (4) community liaisons for conducting key informant interviews, document abstraction, and community observations. The study team developed quality assurance and quality control procedures that were implemented for all aspects of the study. Planning and operationalizing a study of this complexity and magnitude, with multiple functional teams, required frequent communication and strong collaboration among all study partners to ensure timely and effective decision making.
authors.affiliation: Battelle Health and Analytics, St. Louis, Missouri. Electronic address: johnl@battelle.org.
authors.forename: Lisa V
authors.initials: LV
authors.lastname: John
authors.affiliation: Battelle Health and Analytics, Arlington, Virginia.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gregoriou
authors.affiliation: Department of Exercise Science, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina.
authors.forename: Russell R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Pate
authors.affiliation: Work Group for Community Health and Development, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas.
authors.forename: Stephen B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Fawcett
authors.affiliation: Atkins Center for Weight and Health, University of California, Berkeley, California.
authors.forename: Patricia B
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Crawford
authors.affiliation: Battelle Health and Analytics, Columbus, Ohio.
authors.forename: Warren J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Strauss
authors.affiliation: Department of Exercise Science, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina.
authors.forename: Edward A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Frongillo
authors.affiliation: Atkins Center for Weight and Health, University of California, Berkeley, California; Nutrition Policy Institute, University of California, Oakland, California.
authors.forename: Lorrene D
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Ritchie
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiovascular Sciences, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, Bethesda, Maryland.
authors.forename: Catherine M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Loria
authors.affiliation: National Institute on Aging, Bethesda, Maryland.
authors.forename: Melinda
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kelley
authors.affiliation: Battelle Health and Analytics, Arlington, Virginia.
authors.forename: Howard A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Fishbein
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiovascular Sciences, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, Bethesda, Maryland.
authors.forename: S Sonia
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Arteaga
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D000067576:Child Health; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D063766:Pediatric Obesity / Q000517:prevention & control*; D012111:Residence Characteristics