Conducting needs assessment using the comprehensive participatory planning and evaluation model to develop nutrition and physical activity interventions in a rural community in the Mississippi delta.

BACKGROUND: Members of a Lower Mississippi Delta community and university partners used the Comprehensive Participatory Planning and Evaluation (CPPE) model to assess nutrition and health problems and develop a menu of interventions. OBJECTIVES: We sought to identify and prioritize nutrition and physical activity problems in the community and to identify interventions to address the problems. METHODS: Community members and university partners used the CPPE process to identify and prioritize nutrition and physical activity problems. The participants developed causal models to break down the identified problems to their root causes. They then developed a menu of interventions and criteria to rank the interventions. RESULTS: The identified problems were intake of unhealthy foods, lack of nutrition education, and lack of adequate physical activity. The menu of interventions consisted of seven objectives to address poor nutrition and physical activity as well as a total of 19 interventions to meet these objectives. CONCLUSION: Directly involving community members in identifying health problems and solutions results in the development of interventions that are likely to have greater acceptability with the community.