Strengthening public health nutrition: findings from a situational assessment to inform system-wide capacity building in Ontario, Canada

AbstractObjective:To assess public health nutrition practice within the public health system in Ontario, Canada to identify provincial-wide needs for scientific and technical support.Design:A qualitative descriptive study was conducted to identify activities, strengths, challenges and opportunities in public health nutrition practice using semi-structured key informant interviews (n 21) and focus groups (n 10). Recorded notes were analysed concurrently with data generation using content analysis. System needs were prioritised through a survey.Setting:Public health units.Participants:Eighty-nine practitioners, managers, directors, medical officers of health, researchers and other stakeholders were purposively recruited through snowball and extreme case sampling.Results:Five themes were generated: (i) current public health nutrition practice was broad, complex, in transition and collaborative; (ii) data/evidence/research relevant to public health needs were insufficiently available and accessible; (iii) the amount and specificity of guidance/leadership was perceived to be mismatched with strong evidence that diet is a risk factor for poor health; (iv) resources/capacity were varied but insufficient and (v) understanding of nutrition expertise in public health among colleagues, leadership and other organisations can be improved. Top ranked needs were increased understanding, visibility and prioritisation of healthy eating and food environments; improved access to data and evidence; improved collaboration and coordination; and increased alignment of activities and goals.Conclusions:Collective capacity in the public health nutrition can be improved through strategic system-wide capacity-building interventions. Research is needed to explore how improvements in data, evidence and local contexts can bridge research and practice to effectively and efficiently improve population diets and health.

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A capacity-building conceptual framework for public health nutrition practice

Public Health Nutrition ◽

10.1017/s1368980008003078 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 12 (8) ◽

pp. 1031-1038 ◽

Cited By ~ 43

Author(s):

Elizabeth Baillie ◽

Christel Bjarnholt ◽

Marlies Gruber ◽

Roger Hughes

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Conceptual Framework ◽

Capacity Building ◽

Workforce Development ◽

Development Project ◽

Nutrition Intervention ◽

Public Health Nutrition ◽

Systematic Assessment ◽

Effective Public Health ◽

Nutrition Practice

AbstractObjectivesTo describe a conceptual framework to assist in the application of capacity-building principles to public health nutrition practice.DesignA review of the literature and consideration of the determinants of effective public health nutrition practice has been used to inform the development of a conceptual framework for capacity building in the context of public health nutrition practice.ResultThe limited literature supports a greater integration and application of capacity-building strategies and principles in public health nutrition practice, and that this application should be overt and strategic. A framework is proposed that identifies a number of determinants of capacity for effective public health nutrition action. The framework represents the key foundations for building capacity including leadership, resourcing and intelligence. Five key strategic domains supported by these foundation elements, including partnerships, organisational development, project management quality, workforce development and community development, are proposed. This framework can be used to assist the systematic assessment, development and evaluation of capacity-building activity within public health nutrition practice.ConclusionsCapacity building is a strategy within public health nutrition practice that needs to be central to public health nutrition intervention management. The present paper defines, contextualises and outlines a framework for integrating and making explicit the importance of capacity building within public health nutrition practice at many levels.

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Public health nutrition practice in Canada: a situational assessment

Public Health Nutrition ◽

10.1017/s1368980007001516 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 11 (8) ◽

pp. 773-781 ◽

Cited By ~ 22

Author(s):

Ann Fox ◽

Cathy Chenhall ◽

Marie Traynor ◽

Cindy Scythes ◽

Jane Bellman

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Development Strategy ◽

Workforce Development ◽

Stakeholder Participation ◽

Technological Factor ◽

Public Health Nutrition ◽

Leadership Structure ◽

Situational Assessment ◽

Political Economic ◽

Nutrition Practice

AbstractObjectiveRenewed focus on public health has brought about considerable interest in workforce development among public health nutrition professionals in Canada. The present article describes a situational assessment of public health nutrition practice in Canada that will be used to guide future workforce development efforts.MethodsA situational assessment is a planning approach that considers strengths and opportunities as well as needs and challenges, and emphasizes stakeholder participation. This situational assessment consisted of four components: a systematic review of literature on public health nutrition workforce issues; key informant interviews; a PEEST (political, economic, environmental, social, technological) factor analysis; and a consensus meeting.FindingsInformation gathered from these sources identified key nutrition and health concerns of the population; the need to define public health nutrition practice, roles and functions; demand for increased training, education and leadership opportunities; inconsistent qualification requirements across the country; and the desire for a common vision among practitioners.ConclusionsFindings of the situational assessment were used to create a three-year public health nutrition workforce development strategy. Specific objectives of the strategy are to define public health nutrition practice in Canada, develop competencies, collaborate with other disciplines, and begin to establish a new professional group or leadership structure to promote and enhance public health nutrition practice. The process of conducting the situational assessment not only provided valuable information for planning purposes, but also served as an effective mechanism for engaging stakeholders and building consensus.

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Practitioner consensus on the determinants of capacity building practice in high-income countries

Public Health Nutrition ◽

10.1017/s136898001400216x ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 18 (10) ◽

pp. 1898-1905 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Elizabeth Swanepoel ◽

Ann Fox ◽

Roger Hughes

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Conceptual Framework ◽

Capacity Building ◽

Workforce Development ◽

Content Validity ◽

Delphi Study ◽

High Income ◽

Public Health Nutrition ◽

The Usa ◽

Nutrition Practice

AbstractObjectiveTo assess and develop consensus among experienced public health nutrition practitioners from high-income countries regarding conceptualisation of capacity building in practice, and to test the content validity of a previously published conceptual framework for capacity building in public health nutrition practice.DesignA Delphi study involving three iterations of email-delivered questionnaires testing a range of capacity determinants derived from the literature. Consensus was set at >50 % of panellists ranking items as ‘very important’ on a five-point Likert scale across three survey rounds.SettingPublic health nutrition practice in Australia, the UK, Canada and the USA.SubjectsPublic health nutrition practitioners and academics.ResultA total of thirty expert panellists (68 % of an initial panel of forty-four participants) completed all three rounds of Delphi questionnaires. Consensus identified determinants of capacity building in practice including partnerships, resourcing, community development, leadership, workforce development, intelligence and quality of project management.ConclusionsThe findings from the study suggest there is broad agreement among public health nutritionists from high-income countries about how they conceptualise capacity building in public health nutrition practice. This agreement suggests considerable content validity for a capacity building conceptual framework proposed by Baillieet al. (Public Health Nutr12, 1031–1038). More research is needed to apply the conceptual framework to the implementation and evaluation of strategies that enhance the practice of capacity building approaches by public health nutrition professionals.

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The public health nutrition intervention management bi-cycle: a model for training and practice improvement

Public Health Nutrition ◽

10.1017/s1368980011002011 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 15 (11) ◽

pp. 1981-1988 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Roger Hughes ◽

Barrie Margetts

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Workforce Development ◽

Nutrition Intervention ◽

Public Health Nutrition ◽

Competency Development ◽

Practice Improvement ◽

The Public ◽

Critical Feedback ◽

Learning Principles ◽

Nutrition Practice

AbstractObjectiveThe present paper describes a model for public health nutrition practice designed to facilitate practice improvement and provide a step-wise approach to assist with workforce development.DesignThe bi-cycle model for public health nutrition practice has been developed based on existing cyclical models for intervention management but modified to integrate discrete capacity-building practices.SettingEducation and practice settings.SubjectsThis model will have applications for educators and practitioners.ResultsModifications to existing models have been informed by the authors’ observations and experiences as practitioners and educators, and reflect a conceptual framework with applications in workforce development and practice improvement. From a workforce development and educational perspective, the model is designed to reflect adult learning principles, exposing students to experiential, problem-solving and practical learning experiences that reflect the realities of work as a public health nutritionist. In doing so, it assists the development of competency beyond knowing to knowing how, showing how and doing. This progression of learning from knowledge to performance is critical to effective competency development for effective practice.ConclusionsPublic health nutrition practice is dynamic and varied, and models need to be adaptable and applicable to practice context to have utility. The paper serves to stimulate debate in the public health nutrition community, to encourage critical feedback about the validity, applicability and utility of this model in different practice contexts.

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Agreements Between Public Health Organizations and Food and Beverage Companies: Approaches to Improving Evaluation

10.3768/rtipress.2021.op.0067.2101 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Jean L. Wiecha ◽

Mary K. Muth

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

The United States ◽

Third Party ◽

The Public ◽

Beverage Industry ◽

Food And Beverage Industry ◽

Challenges And Opportunities ◽

Food And Beverage ◽

Quasi Experimental ◽

Access To Data

Efforts in the United States and abroad to address the chronic disease epidemic have led to the emergence of voluntary industry agreements as a substitute for regulatory approaches to improve the healthfulness of foods and beverages. Because of the lack of access to data and limited budgets, evaluations of these agreements have often been limited to process evaluation with less focus on outcomes and impact. Increasing scientific scope and rigor in evaluating voluntary food and beverage industry agreements would improve potential public health benefits and understanding of the effects of these agreements. We describe how evaluators can provide formative, process, and outcome assessment and discuss challenges and opportunities for impact assessment. We explain how logic models, industry profiles, quasi-experimental designs, mixed-methods approaches, and third-party data can improve the effectiveness of agreement design and evaluation. These methods could result in more comprehensive and rigorous evaluation of voluntary industry agreements, thus providing data to bolster the public health impacts of future agreements. However, improved access to data and larger evaluation budgets will be needed to support improvements in evaluation.

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Sustainable diets

Oxford Handbook of Nutrition and Dietetics ◽

10.1093/med/9780199585823.003.0019 ◽

2011 ◽

pp. 379-388

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Climate Change ◽

Sustainable Development ◽

Food Security ◽

The Political ◽

Public Health Nutrition ◽

Individual Behaviour ◽

The Public ◽

Relationship Of ◽

The Impact

Sustainability and nutrition 380 Sustainable development 382 Food security 383 Climate change and obesity 384 Useful websites and further reading 388 The public health nutrition field has identified a need to encompass the inter-relationship of man with his environment (The Giessen Declaration, 2005). Ecological public health nutrition places nutrition within its wider structural settings including the political, physical, socio-cultural and economic environment that influence individual behaviour and health. As a consequence, it includes the impact of what is eaten on the natural environment as well as the impact of environmental and climate change on all components of food security, i.e. on what food is available, accessible, utilizable and stable (...

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Workshop: Capacity building in public health in Northern Africa. A common effort to develop training programmes

European Journal of Public Health ◽

10.1093/eurpub/ckz185.493 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 29 (Supplement_4) ◽

Author(s):

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Capacity Building ◽

Health Research ◽

Policy Decision ◽

Northern Africa ◽

Integrate Approach ◽

The Public ◽

Lessons Learnt ◽

Building Process ◽

Health Field

Abstract Background In the years that have followed the overthrow of the former autocratic regime and the democratization of the country, the CONFIDE partner country, Tunisia, has experienced positive political and economic changes. These changes have driven important reforms in the field of public health, yet this country is facing important challenges in building a modern health system and finding an integrate approach to the main national public health problems. In terms of health research system, in Tunisia there is little coordination between stakeholders and the institutions in charge of public health. Moreover, there is no specific mechanism for informing the Ministry of Health about the progress of research in Tunisia and overall there is no structure responsible for the dissemination of research results to the public. To this end, the European and Tunisian members of this consortium have designed together the present capacity building project which aims to inform public health policies in Tunisia based on evidence and contribute to the development of public health research. The CONFIDE project is contributing to the development of the public health field in Tunisia and provides knowhow and tools to the Tunisian public health professions to better collaborate with the local stakeholders. Aim of the workshop The aim of this workshop is to share the experience of the capacity building process in the public health field in Northern Africa. The workshop will discuss and analyse the structure of opportunities for change and reform and the local needs of the public health domain in Tunisia and will identify the main challenges. We will present the processes used and challenges faced, but also the ways to overcome these challenges. This workshop will contribute to the European Public Health field by increasing the visibility at European level of the efforts directed to capacity building interventions and at transferring knowhow outside Europe, specifically Northern Africa. Program The introduction to the workshop will be made by Prof. Razvan Chereches MD, PhD, Professor of Public Health and coordinator of the CONFIDE project. He will describe the methodology used for the capacity building in public health trainings programme in Tunisia. The development of the Centre for Evidence Based Public Health in Tunisia and their impact on the Tunisian local and regional levels will be presented by Prof. Fatma Cheikhrouhou. The link between the knowledge transferred to the young professionals and the policy decision makers will be described by the Tunisian coordinator of the dissemination activities, Prof. Kalthoum Kallel. MScPH Maria Palianopoulou will follow with presenting the evaluation results of the capacity building process and lessons learnt. Last but not least, the sustainability of the trainings and the local effort to integrate the knowledge into the Medical University curricula will be presented by Assistant Prof. Mohamed ben Rejeb. Key messages Discussing lessons learnt can contribute to better tools for the development of public health. Partners` perspective and culturally adapted tools are important for high quality learning process.

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