title: Building practitioner networks to support dissemination and implementation of evidence-based programs in community settings.
abstract: Insufficient capacity to use evidence-based programs (EBPs) limits the impact of community-based organizations (CBOs) to improve population health and address health disparities. PLANET MassCONECT was a community-based participatory research (CBPR) project conducted in three Massachusetts communities. Researchers and practitioners co-created an intervention to build capacity among CBO staff members to systematically find, adapt, and evaluate EBPs. The project supported development of trainee social networks and this cross-sectional study examines the association between network engagement and EBP usage, an important goal of the capacity-building program. Trainee cohorts were enrolled from June 2010 to April 2012 and we collected community-specific network data in late 2013. The relationship of interest was communication among network members regarding the systematic approach to program planning presented in the intervention. For Communities A, B, and C, 39/59, 36/61, and 50/59 trainees responded to our survey, respectively. We conducted the full network analysis in Community C. The average degree, or number of connections with other trainees, is a useful marker of engagement; respondents averaged 6.6 reported connections. Degree was associated with recent use of EBPs, in a linear regression, adjusting for important covariates. The results call for further attention to practitioner networks that support the use of research evidence in community settings. Consideration of key contextual factors, including resource levels, turnover rates, and community complexity will be vital for success.
authors.affiliation: Center for Community-Based Research, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, 450 Brookline Ave, LW 601, Boston, MA, 02215, USA. shoba_ramanadhan@dfci.harvard.edu.|Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA, 02215, USA. shoba_ramanadhan@dfci.harvard.edu.
authors.forename: Shoba
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-0650-9433
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ramanadhan
authors.affiliation: Center for Community-Based Research, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, 450 Brookline Ave, LW 601, Boston, MA, 02215, USA.
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Minsky
authors.affiliation: Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA, 02215, USA.
authors.forename: Vilma
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Martinez-Dominguez
authors.affiliation: Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA, 02215, USA.
authors.forename: Kasisomayajula
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Viswanath
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D057191:Capacity Building; D015331:Cohort Studies; D019058:Community Networks; D055812:Community-Based Participatory Research; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D055317:Evidence-Based Practice; D005260:Female; D006284:Health Plan Implementation; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D033181:Information Dissemination; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Community-based organizations; Community-based participatory research; Dissemination; Evidence-based programs; Implementation; Social network analysis