WA Nutrition Obesity Policy Research Network

Purpose of WA NOPRN

• Establish a network of academic, public health, agriculture, and community stakeholders to plan and conduct research that will inform the policy activities of state and local nutrition and obesity prevention programs.

• Study the process of policy development, enactment and implementation.

National NOPRN Activities

• Identify relevant policies

• Describe the process of developing and implementing policies

• Analyze adopted policy content and intent

• Determine and evaluate policy outcomes

• Create model policies

2

Problem Stream

Policy Stream

Politics Stream

Figure 2: Kingdon’s Multiple Streams Model

No policy adoption

Problem Stream

Policy Stream

Politics Stream

A BC

B2

31

C

2

Scenario 1: No Coupling of Streams or Window Closed > Policy Proposal Not Adopted

Scenario 2: Coupling of Streams and Window of Opportunity Open > Policy Proposal Adopted

Policy Adoption

WA NOPRN Structure

• Management Team

• Leadership Team

• Ad hoc research teams around specific projects.

WA State Management Team

• Donna Johnson

• Allen Cheadle

• Mary Podrabsky

Purpose of Leadership Team

• Generate innovative policy research ideas • Ensure that research projects address

inequalities and underlying determinants of lack of access to healthy foods

• Prioritize proposed research projects to ensure their utility to communities and organizations

• Provide input on the feasibility of conducting proposed research projects.

Leadership Team: UW

• Branden Born • Allen Cheadle• Mark Doescher• Anne Vernez Moudon• Jeff Harris• Brian Saelens• Pablo Monsivias• Patricia Lichiello

Leadership Team: Public Health & Agriculture

• Deborah Allen

• Kirsten Frandsen

• Tricia Sexton Kovacs

• Erin MacDougall

• Donna Oberg

• Marilyn Sitaker

Leadership Team: Advocates

• Vic Colman, WA Childhood Obesity Prevention Coalition

• Linda Stone, Children’s Alliance

• Claire Lane, WithinReach

Convening WA NOPRN: From Grant

• The UW NOPRN Leadership Team will meet at least four times a year as a group. – update on national and local NOPRN activities and

progress; – presentation by one of the leadership team members

about their organization and policy research projects or opportunities at the organization;

– general updates about nutrition and obesity policy initiatives in the state and nationally.

• Twice a year the WA NOPRN will have a meeting in conjunction with a visiting scholar or UW lecture/workshop

Evaluation

• Annual survey of network members– Satisfaction with roles & key accomplishments– Benefits from membership– Changes that could be made

• Comprehensive matrix of network activities– Description of the activity, accomplishments to date,

network members involved, and next steps. – Informal social network analysis

National NOPRN

• Research network of PRCs with funding from DNPAO; support from NCI & others

• “Foster understanding of the effectiveness of policies related to preventing childhood obesity through improving access to affordable, healthy foods and beverages in schools, childcare, worksite and community settings.”

National NOPRN

• Meetings– Twice a year in person– Monthly phone calls

• Members– Core centers: Harvard, Texas A&M, Tulane,

NYU, UW– Affiliate centers: other PRCs– Collaborative members: universities without

PRCs

QUESTIONS

• Best ways to make meetings useful, productive, worth coming to

• Top opportunities and priorities for policy research in Washington State