Local Coalition announces results of change assessment

Northwoods LEAN (Linking Education, Activity, and Nutrition) coalition announced the results of the Community Health Assessment and Group Evaluation (CHANGE). CDC's Healthy Communities Program designed the CHANGE tool for all communities interested in creating social and built environments that support healthy living.

This project was a result of an application and reward of a grant from the state of Wisconsin in which communities utilized the CHANGE tool to identify community assets and potential areas of improvement related to chronic disease prevention and management.

The assessment involved collecting data from five different sectors of the community:

• Community-at-Large

• Community Institutions/Organizations

• Health Care

• Schools

• Worksites

Additionally, several data collection methods were used:

• Key informant interviews

• Focus groups

• Surveys

• Walking audits

• Observation

• Town hall meeting

Northwoods LEAN discovered several needs in the community-at-large, school, and worksite sectors. Specifically, the coalition will work to increase physical activity and improve nutrition in the community-at-large; increase physical activity in schools; increase fruit and vegetable intake in students; and increase the number of worksite wellness programs.

Northwoods LEAN will begin putting strategies into action within the next year and hope to procure grants to maximize the effort in these activities. All strategies will be evidence-based, a practice that indicates a strategy has been proven to create positive community change.

For more information on the Northwoods LEAN coalition, results of the CHANGE assessment, or the action plan related to the results, please contact Kyla Waksmonski, Community Health Specialist with the Oneida County Health Department, 715-369-6114.