Phase I research findings of the Balancing InTake and Expenditure (BITE) project demonstrated that study participants (physical activity and nutrition [PAN] practitioners) are enthusiastic about having access to and using a website that will help them plan, implement and evaluate community physical activity and nutrition programs. Through our investigative and program development practices we: a) recruited and convened an Expert Advisory Panel (EAP) b) conducted a survey, card sort activities and focus groups that identified website content, features/functionality needs of PAN practitioners, c) discovered that users felt that they already had access to websites that provided content on evidenced-based strategies for planning, implementing and evaluating community PAN programs;and d) developed and tested paper prototype representations of BITE web pages. After these investigations the BITE concept was refined to be more responsive to practitioner needs to: a) broaden partner and public participation in community-level program planning processes;b) improve the quality and completeness of program plans such that they are more evidenced-based;c) help assure uniformity and quality of program evaluation data reported to lead agencies by partners;and d) increase the likelihood of program success. The goal of this SBIR Phase II project is to build and test a dynamic, interactive web program that will assist public health practitioners and their partners as they plan, manage, and evaluate physical activity and nutrition programs that can be repurposed for use with other risk reduction and chronic disease programs. In Phase II, researchers at Klein Buendel, Inc. (KB) in partnership with the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors propose to: Produce an interactive, multimedia, web-based program that integrates physical activity and nutrition program planning, management and evaluation for use by state and/or community-based health promotion practitioners. Conduct a pair-matched, randomized community trial in 40 communities from 8 states to test the impact of the BITE program on plan quality, planning efficiency, and program implementation The web program will contain project management tools including: a) online discussion and decision- making tools, b) a centralized hub containing community plans with tasks, milestones and metrics, c) links to websites with evidenced-based PAN information, and d) interactive tools and features to support PAN practitioners. Web-based planning and progress reporting will be strategically integrated with face-to-face meetings, telephone conference calls, and online/telephonic training opportunities. Secondary measures will assess Program Manager and user satisfaction with community planning and implementation processes, and attitudes on functioning of their community coalition/planning group using interview and survey methods.
The Balancing InTake and Expenditure website will contain project management tools to help community public health promotion staff plan and implement physical activity and nutrition programs. More efficient programs will help engage broad cross-sections of community partners and hopefully reduce the risk for chronic diseases attributed to overweight, obesity and lack of physical activity.
