WA Nutrition Obesity Policy Research Network

1. WA Nutrition Obesity Policy Research Network

2. 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.

3. 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

4.     C B A C Problem Stream No policy adoption Policy Stream 3 B 1 2 Politics Stream     Scenario 1: No Coupling of Streams or Window Closed > Policy Proposal Not Adopted 2 Problem Stream Policy Adoption Policy Stream 2 Politics Stream  Scenario 2: Coupling of Streams and Window of Opportunity Open > Policy Proposal Adopted Figure 2: Kingdon’s Multiple Streams Model

5. WA NOPRN Structure • Management Team • Leadership Team • Ad hoc research teams around specific projects.

6. WA State Management Team • Donna Johnson • Allen Cheadle • Mary Podrabsky

7. 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.

8. Leadership Team: UW • Branden Born • Allen Cheadle • Mark Doescher • Anne Vernez Moudon • Jeff Harris • Brian Saelens • Pablo Monsivias • Patricia Lichiello

9. Leadership Team: Public Health & Agriculture • Deborah Allen • Kirsten Frandsen • Tricia Sexton Kovacs • Erin MacDougall • Donna Oberg • Marilyn Sitaker

10. Leadership Team: Advocates • Vic Colman, WA Childhood Obesity Prevention Coalition • Linda Stone, Children’s Alliance • Claire Lane, WithinReach

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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.”

14. 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

15. QUESTIONS • Best ways to make meetings useful, productive, worth coming to • Top opportunities and priorities for policy research in Washington State