title: A quasi-experimental study to mobilize rural low-income communities to assess and improve the ecological environment to prevent childhood obesity.
abstract: The Ecological Model of Childhood Overweight focuses on characteristics that could affect a child's weight status in relation to the multiple environments surrounding that child. A community coaching approach allows community groups to identify their own strengths, priorities and identity. Little to no research currently exists related to community-based efforts inclusive of community coaching in creating environmental change to prevent childhood obesity particularly in rural communities.
  
  
  
  A quasi-experimental study will be conducted with low-income, rural communities (n = 14) in the North Central region of the United States to mobilize capacity in communities to create and sustain an environment of healthy eating and physical activity to prevent childhood obesity. Two rural communities within seven Midwestern states (IN, KS, MI, OH, ND, SD, WI) will be randomly assigned to serve as an intervention or comparison community. Coalitions will complete assessments of their communities, choose from evidence-based approaches, and implement nutrition and physical activity interventions each year to prevent childhood obesity with emphasis on policy, system or environmental changes over four years. Only intervention coalitions will receive community coaching from a trained coach. Outcomes will be assessed at baseline, annually and project end using previously validated instruments and include coalition self-assessments, parental perceptions regarding the built environment, community, neighborhood, and early childhood environments, self-reflections from coaches and project staff, ripple effect mapping with coalitions and, final interviews of key stakeholders and coaches. A mixed-methods analysis approach will be used to evaluate if Community Coaching enhances community capacity to create and sustain an environment to support healthy eating and physical activity for young children. ANOVA or corresponding non-parametric tests will be used to analyze quantitative data relating to environmental change with significance set at P < .05. Dominant emergent themes from the qualitative data will be weaved together with quantitative data to develop a theoretical model representing how communities were impacted by the project.
  
  
  
  This project will yield data and best practices that could become a model for community development based approaches to preventing childhood obesity in rural communities.
authors.affiliation: Kansas State Research & Extension, Kansas State University, 340 Justin Hall, Manhattan, KS, 66506, USA.
authors.forename: Paula
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Peters
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, North Dakota State University, Dept 2662, PO Box 6050, Fargo, ND, 58108-6050, USA.
authors.forename: Abby
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gold
authors.affiliation: Purdue University Extension, Matthews Hall, 812 W. State Street, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA.
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Abbott
authors.affiliation: Michigan State University Extension, 160 Agriculture Hall, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA.
authors.forename: Dawn
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Contreras
authors.affiliation: University of Wisconsin Extension, 432 N. Lake Street Room 631, Madison, WI, 53706, USA.
authors.forename: Ann
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Keim
authors.affiliation: South Dakota State University, Box 2275A, Brookings, SD, 57007, USA.
authors.forename: Renee
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Oscarson
authors.affiliation: Kansas State Research & Extension, Kansas State University, 340 Justin Hall, Manhattan, KS, 66506, USA.
authors.forename: Sandra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Procter
authors.affiliation: Kansas State Research & Extension, Kansas State University, 340 Justin Hall, Manhattan, KS, 66506, USA.
authors.forename: Valentina
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Remig
authors.affiliation: The Ohio State University Extension, 381 Campbell Hall, Room163A, 1787 Neil Avenue, Columbus, OH, 43210-1220, USA.
authors.forename: Carol
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Smathers
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Connecticut, 3624 Horsebarn Road Extension, Unit 4017, Storrs, CT, 06269, USA. amy.mobley@uconn.edu.
authors.forename: Amy R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Mobley
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003376:Counseling / Q000379:methods*; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D006266:Health Education / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D015146:Midwestern United States; D009937:Organizational Objectives; D063766:Pediatric Obesity / Q000517:prevention & control*; D011203:Poverty; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012424:Rural Population; D014481:United States
keywords: Community coaching; Community networks; Low income population; Pediatric obesity; Rural community