Browsing by Author "Brock, Donna J."

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    The National Youth At Risk Program Sustainability Study
    Mancini, Jay A.; Marek, Lydia I.; Brock, Donna J. (Virginia Cooperative Extension, 2009-05-01)
    The research and analyses reported here are designed to address some of the deficits in our understanding of program sustainability, specifically for at risk audiences, and reflects the second phase in a multi-year study of community-based programs that are targeted to at risk youth and families.
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    The National Youth at Risk Program sustainability study : continuity, success, and survival of community-based projects
    Marek, Lydia I.; Mancini, Jay A.; Brock, Donna J. (Virginia Cooperative Extension, 1999)
    Programs for children, youth, adults, and families have been shown to have positive influences on the quality of community life (Comer & Fraser, 1998; Marek, Mancini, Lee & Miles, 1996; Schorr, 1997). Even though the human resource and economic resource investments in community-based programs are substantial, and despite what is known about the nature of successful programs, the matter of what sustains programs is less clear (Lerner, 1995; Mancini & Marek, 1998). The research and analyses reported here are designed to address some of the deficits in our understanding of program sustainability, specifically for at risk audiences, and reflects the second phase in a multi-year study of community-based programs that are targeted to at risk youth and families. The long-term goals of this research project are to document project longevity for at risk audiences and the processes that underlie it, to build a program sustainability conceptual framework, and to develop a community-level sustainability assessment inventory.
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    Ongoing community-based program implementation, successes, and obstacles: The National Youth at Risk Program Sustainability Study
    Marek, Lydia I.; Mancini, Jay A.; Earthman, G. Erik; Brock, Donna J. (Virginia Cooperative Extension, 2009-05-01)
    The National Youth at Risk Programs Sustainability Study was designed to examine the sustainability of Youth at Risk projects initially funded through the USDA/CSREES CYFAR (Children, Youth, and Families at risk) Initiative. The current report focuses on 94 Youth at Risk (YAR) projects four years after their initial grant ended and represents the latest in a series of reports focused on the sustainability of these projects.
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    Participatory development and pilot testing of iChoose: an adaptation of an evidence-based paediatric weight management program for community implementation
    Hill, Jennie L.; Zoellner, Jamie M.; You, Wen; Brock, Donna J.; Price, Bryan; Alexander, Ramine C.; Frisard, Madlyn I.; Brito, Fabiana A.; Hou, Xiaolu; Estabrooks, Paul A. (2019-01-29)
    Background To describe the identification, adaptation, and testing of an evidence-based pediatric weight management program for a health disparate community. Methods A community advisory board (CAB) of decision-makers and staff from local health care, public health, and recreation organizations engaged with academic partners to select an evidence-based program (EBP) for local implementation. Three EBPs were identified (Traffic Light, Bright Bodies, Golan and colleagues Home Environmental Model) and each EBP was rated on program characteristics, implementation and adaptation, and adoptability. Following selection of the EBP that was rated highest, the POPS-CAB made adaptations based on the program principles described in peer-reviewed publications. The adapted intervention, iChoose, was then pilot tested in 3 iterative phases delivered initially by research partners, then co-delivered by research and community partners, then delivered by community partners. The RE-AIM framework was used to plan and evaluate the iChoose intervention across all waves with assessments at baseline, post program (3 months), and follow-up (6 months). Results Bright Bodies rated highest on program characteristics and adoptability (p’s < 0.05), while Home Environmental Model rated highest on implementation factors (p < 0.05). Qualitatively, the selection focused on important program characteristics and on matching those characteristics to the potential to fit within the community partner services. The adapted program—iChoose—had 18% reach and with participants that were representative of the target population on age, gender, ethnicity, and race. Effectiveness was demonstrated by modest, but significant reductions in BMI z-scores at post-program compared to baseline (MΔ = − 0.047; t = − 2.11, p = 0.046). This decrease returned to values similar to baseline 3 months (MΔ = 0.009) after the program was completed. Implementation fidelity was high and implementation fidelity did not differ between community or research delivery agents. Conclusions The process to help organizations identify and select evidence-based programs appropriate for their community led to consensus on a single EBP. While iChoose was successful in initiating changes in BMI z-scores, could be implemented in a low resource community with fidelity, it was insufficient to lead to sustained child BMI z-scores. In response to these data, maintenance of program effects and delivery are the current focus of the CBPR team.
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    SIPsmartER delivered through rural, local health districts: adoption and implementation outcomes
    Porter, Kathleen J.; Brock, Donna J.; Estabrooks, Paul A.; Perzynski, Katelynn M.; Hecht, Erin R.; Ray, Pamela; Kružliaková, Natalie; Cantrell, Eleanor S.; Zoellner, Jamie M. (2019-09-18)
    Background SIPsmartER is a 6-month evidenced-based, multi-component behavioral intervention that targets sugar-sweetened beverages among adults. It consists of three in-person group classes, one teach-back call, and 11 automated phone calls. Given SIPsmartER’s previously demonstrated effectiveness, understanding its adoption, implementation, and potential for integration within a system that reaches health disparate communities is important to enhance its public health impact. During this pilot dissemination and implementation trial, SIPsmartER was delivered by trained staff from local health districts (delivery agents) in rural, Appalachian Virginia. SIPsmartER’s execution was supported by consultee-centered implementation strategies. Methods In this mixed-methods process evaluation, adoption and implementation indicators of the program and its implementation strategy (e.g., fidelity, feasibility, appropriateness, acceptability) were measured using tracking logs, delivery agent surveys and interviews, and fidelity checklists. Quantitative data were analyzed with descriptive statistics. Qualitative data were inductively coded. Results Delivery agents implemented SIPsmartER to the expected number of cohorts (n = 12), recruited 89% of cohorts, and taught 86% of expected small group classes with > 90% fidelity. The planned implementation strategies were also executed with high fidelity. Delivery agents completing the two-day training, pre-lesson meetings, fidelity checklists, and post-lesson meetings at rates of 86, 75, 100, and 100%, respectively. Additionally, delivery agents completed 5% (n = 3 of 66) and 10% (n = 6 of 59) of teach-back and missed class calls, respectively. On survey items using 6-point scales, delivery agents reported, on average, higher feasibility, appropriateness, and acceptability related to delivering the group classes (range 4.3 to 5.6) than executing missed class and teach-back calls (range 2.6 to 4.6). They also, on average, found the implementation strategy activities to be helpful (range 4.9 to 6.0). Delivery agents identified strengths and weakness related to recruitment, lesson delivery, call completion, and the implementation strategy. Conclusions In-person classes and the consultee-centered implementation strategies were viewed as acceptable, appropriate, and feasible and were executed with high fidelity. However, implementation outcomes for teach-back and missed class calls and recruitment were not as strong. Findings will inform the future full-scale dissemination and implementation of SIPsmartER, as well as other evidence-based interventions, into rural health districts as a means to improve population health.