Systematic dissemination of a preschool physical activity intervention to the control preschools.

For public health interventions to have a meaningful impact on public health, they must be disseminated to the wider population. Systematic planning and evaluation of dissemination efforts can aid translation from experimental trials to larger dissemination programs. The Study of Health and Activity in Preschool Environments (SHAPES) was a group-randomized intervention trial conducted in 16 preschools that successfully increased the physical activity of preschool age children. Following the completion of the research study protocol, the intervention was abbreviated, modified and implemented in four preschools that participated as control preschools in the original research study. The purposes of the current study were to describe the process of refining the intervention for dissemination to the control preschools, and to assess the acceptability of the resulting abbreviated intervention delivery. Five overarching behavioral objectives, informed by process evaluation, data from the original trial and collaboration with intervention teachers, were used to guide the implementation. Teachers in the dissemination classrooms reported high levels of acceptability, potential for sustainability of the program, and positive results in knowledge, skills, and child outcomes. Researchers can include a systematic approach to dissemination of effective intervention elements to the control participants in experimental studies to inform future dissemination efforts and begin to bridge the dissemination gap.

A Tale of 2 Teachers: A Preschool Physical Activity Intervention Case Study.

BACKGROUND: Preschool settings vary greatly, and research has shown that interventions are more successful when they can be adapted to individual settings. This is a descriptive case study of how 2 teachers successfully adapted and implemented a preschool physical activity intervention. METHODS: The Study of Health and Activity in Preschool Environments (SHAPES) was a 3-year physical activity intervention. A detailed case study of 2 high-implementing teachers was conducted. Multiple data sources included accelerometry, direct observation, teacher surveys, and intervention staff field notes. RESULTS: Teacher A focused on integrating physical activity into a wide range of activities, including parent and community events. Teacher B focused on high-intensity, structured activities. Both teachers supported the intervention, worked closely with intervention staff, and operated their classroom as an autonomous unit with support from their directors. Teacher A provided an average of 31.5, 78.0, and 67.5 min of physical activity opportunity per day of observation during years 1, 2, and 3. Teacher B provided an average of 2.7, 33.5, and 73.3 minutes of physical activity opportunity per day of observation. CONCLUSION: Successful implementation of physical activity interventions may look different in different contexts; thus, interventions should allow for flexible implementation.

Increasing Knowledge and Health Literacy about Preterm Births in Underserved Communities: An Approach to Decrease Health Disparities, a Pilot Study.

INTRODUCTION: Health disparities can negatively impact subsets of the population who have systematically experienced greater socioeconomic obstacles to health. For example, health disparities between ethnic and racial groups continue to grow due to the widening gap in large declines in infant and fetal mortality among Caucasians compared to Black non-Hispanic or African Americans. According to the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, preterm birth remains a leading cause of infant morbidity and mortality. The purpose of our study is to determine if the computer-based educational modules related to preterm birth health literacy and health disparity with a pre-test and post-test can effectively increase health knowledge of our participants in targeted underserved communities within the Richmond-metro area. METHODS: This was a pilot study in the Richmond-Metro area. Participants were required to be over the age of 18, and had to electronically give consent. Descriptive statistics, means and standard deviations, and Paired t-tests were conducted in SPSS 22.0. RESULTS: There were 140 participants in the pilot study. P<.05 was set as significant and all four modules had a P<.000. The males were not significant with modules: Let's Talk Patient & Provider Communication P<.132 and It Takes a Village P<.066. Preterm birth status yes all of the findings were statistically significant P<.000. Preterm birth status no Let's Talk Patients & Provider Communication was not significant P<.106. CONCLUSION: Overall, researchers found that with a strong research methodology and strong content relevant to the community, the participants demonstrated an increase in their knowledge in health literacy and preterm birth.