The Live Well Allegheny Conversation Project: Increasing Social and Civic Engagement in Order to Address Health Disparities in the Mon Valley

[摘要] The Mon Valley region currently experiences a disproportionate burden of chronic disease when compared to county and national standards. Live Well Allegheny (LWA) Mon Valley, a program of the Allegheny County Health Department, works to combat regional disparities by partnering with area municipal councils and others to draft and implement health policies that combat chronic disease behaviors and promote healthy community environments. The effectiveness of the LWA program is hindered by a lack of community buy-in and direct resident engagement. The purpose of this thesis is to produce a program plan for a LWA community-engagement initiative, called the LWA Conversation Project, which will host resident-led discussions and create action plans inspired by resident input. The program plan is drafted using the PRECEDE-PROCEED model and includes community health assessments, implementation and evaluation frameworks, and a facilitator’s guide. The intervention incorporates community organizing principles and draws from established community engagement models. The creation of a resident-driven complement to the current Live Well Allegheny program serves the dual purpose of empowering residents to take an active role in health promotion in their region and of providing LWA and its partners with first-hand information about the needs of the communities they serve. By increasing the social and civic engagement of the region’s residents, the program will increase the social capital and overall health of the Mon Valley region through the empowerment of individuals to become active participants in shaping their community.

[发布机构] the University of Pittsburgh