Health Promotion Directory: Development, Distribution, and Utilization

Promoting Community Health Resources: Preferred Communication Strategies

Community health promotion efforts involve communicating resource information to priority populations. Which communication strategies are most effective is largely unknown for specific populations. A random dialed representative phone survey was conducted assessing current health resource community awareness, health resource utilization, and communication strategy preferences. The survey revealed that community members preferred to receive information on health resources from the Internet (28.3%), newspaper (26.4%), or mail (22.3%). Different priority populations had varying health communication strategy preferences (e.g., young adults prefer Internet, older adults prefer newspaper, and obese adults prefer mail). Ideally, if health resources are intended for adult audiences, a campaign that would include communication through newspaper (targeting older adults), mailing (targeting obese adults), and Web sites (targeting younger adults) would be the most effective approach. This research suggests that an assessment of communication strategy preferences of the priority population might be a crucial first step when developing health promotion programs.

A guide for developing intervention tools addressing environmental factors to improve diet and physical activity

Low-income populations have an elevated risk of obesity and associated chronic diseases. Environmental factors influence health behaviors that contribute to obesity. Although low-income neighborhoods may pose barriers to healthy behaviors, they may also have health-promoting environmental features (e.g., produce stands, walking trails). Thus, a potentially effective intervention strategy is to help individuals identify and overcome neighborhood barriers by making use of community resources that support a healthy diet and physical activity. The authors describe the formative research process undertaken to develop two community-focused intervention tools to complement a clinic-based cardiovascular disease risk-reduction program for underserved women. Literature review, community exploration, and examination of Internet and print resources contributed to development of a neighborhood assessment with tip sheets and a community resource guide. These tools were finalized using community members' feedback. This formative process can serve as a guide for other health promotion programs to create and use similar tools.