title: Addressing Childhood Obesity Through Multisector Collaborations: Evaluation of a National Quality Improvement Effort.
abstract: The Healthy Weight Collaborative (HWC) represents a national quality improvement effort to increase uptake of evidence-based community-based interventions to address obesity among children. Implemented from 2011 to 2013, the HWC built the capacity of 49 community-based multisector teams (10 teams in the Phase 1 pilot, 39 teams in Phase 2), delivered services to support health behavior changes in children and families, and implemented sustainable social and environmental policy change at the organizational and community levels. Phase 2 teams participated in three virtual collaborative learning sessions interspersed with three "action periods" during which teams implemented the HWC "change package" while receiving tailored coaching and peer-support. All of the teams participating in Phase 2 adopted a healthy weight message, 59% implemented community-wide healthy weight assessments and healthy weight plans, and 31% made progress toward developing and implementing policies to promote healthy weight. By the end of the project, one-third of teams had developed sustainability plans to continue working with this approach. The HWC offers a collaborative team model with the potential to effectively address other public health challenges.
authors.affiliation: Community Science, Inc., 438 N Frederick Ave, Gaithersburg, MD, 20877, USA.
authors.forename: Margaret B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Hargreaves
authors.affiliation: Mathematica Policy Research, P.O. Box 2393, Princeton, NJ, 08543-2393, USA.
authors.forename: Cara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Orfield
authors.affiliation: Mathematica Policy Research, P.O. Box 2393, Princeton, NJ, 08543-2393, USA.
authors.forename: Todd
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Honeycutt
authors.affiliation: Mathematica Policy Research, P.O. Box 2393, Princeton, NJ, 08543-2393, USA.
authors.forename: Michaela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vine
authors.affiliation: Mathematica Policy Research, P.O. Box 2393, Princeton, NJ, 08543-2393, USA.
authors.forename: Charlotte
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cabili
authors.affiliation: Community Science, Inc., 438 N Frederick Ave, Gaithersburg, MD, 20877, USA.
authors.forename: Brandon
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Coffee-Borden
authors.affiliation: Mathematica Policy Research, P.O. Box 2393, Princeton, NJ, 08543-2393, USA.
authors.forename: Michaella
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Morzuch
authors.affiliation: Health Resources and Services Administration, Office of Planning, Analysis and Evaluation, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, MD, 20857, USA. LHarris2@hrsa.gov.
authors.forename: Lydie A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Lebrun-Harris
authors.affiliation: Health Resources and Services Administration, Office of Planning, Analysis and Evaluation, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, MD, 20857, USA.
authors.forename: Sylvia K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Fisher
mesh_terms: D003153:Community Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D004777:Environment; D006040:Goals; D015438:Health Behavior; D058015:Health Communication / Q000379:methods; D006266:Health Education / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006291:Health Policy; D006801:Humans; D063766:Pediatric Obesity / Q000517:prevention & control*; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration; D015397:Program Evaluation; D011635:Public Health Administration / Q000379:methods; D058996:Quality Improvement / Q000458:organization & administration*
keywords: Children; Collaboration; Evaluation; Obesity; Quality improvement