The purpose of this study is to identify and evaluate dissemination strategies to promote the uptake of evidence-based cancer and other chronic disease prevention among state-level public health practitioners. Dissemination strategies such as multi-day in-person training workshops and electronic information exchange modalities are hypothesized to associate with improved access and use of public health evidence and organizational supports for program and policy decision making based on evidence-based public health.
Evidence-based public health approaches to prevent cancer and other chronic diseases have been identified in recent decades and have the potential for high impact. Yet barriers to implement prevention approaches persist as a result of multiple factors including lack of organizational support, limited resources, competing priorities, and limited skill among the public health workforce. The purpose of this study was to learn how best to promote the adoption of evidence based public health practice related to chronic disease prevention. This cluster randomized trial aimed to evaluate the dissemination of public health knowledge about evidence-based prevention of cancer and other chronic diseases and test receptivity and usefulness of dissemination strategies directed toward state health department chronic disease practitioners to enhance capacity and organizational support for evidence-based chronic disease prevention. Twelve state health department chronic disease units were randomly selected and assigned to intervention or control. State health department staff and the university-based study team jointly identified, refined, and selected dissemination strategies. Intervention strategies included multi-day in-person training workshops, remote telephone follow-up and technical assistance, supplemental brief remote trainings, and health department work unit procedural changes to support and strengthen evidence-based decision making. Evaluation methods included pre-post surveys and structured qualitative phone interviews.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
OTHER
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
1,703
State health department chronic disease units will be involved with developing and choosing dissemination activities to spread public health knowledge and information on population-based public health strategies that have been shown to reduce risk factors for cancer and other chronic diseases. Example of activities include: multi-day in-person training workshops and electronic information exchange modalities.
Prevention Research Center in St. Louis, Brown School, Washington University in St. Louis
St Louis, Missouri, United States
Organizational supports for evidence-based decision making (EBDM)
Self-report Likert scale items in 4 factors: access to evidence and skilled staff, program evaluation, supervisory expectations and incentives for EBDM, and participatory decision-making
Time frame: 18-24 months post baseline
EBDM competencies
Self-report Likert scale items measure perceived importance and availability of specific public health practitioner skill sets for EBDM
Time frame: 18-24 months post baseline
Use of research evidence for job tasks
Self-report frequency items for 6 job tasks, summary variable creating by calculating the mean frequency across the tasks
Time frame: 18-24 months post baseline
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