DOI: 10.3886/icpsr36447
title: Multi-Network Practice and Outcome Variation Examination Study (MPROVE) in 6 United States, 2012-2013
title: Archival Version

description: Local health departments (LHDs) have essential roles in promoting physical activities intended to reduce obesity. The resulting array of community interventions includes activities such as community education, school-based programs, individual services, and healthy built environments. Little research exists, however, regarding how these interventions impact community health. Our objective was to explore associations between physical activity (PA) program approaches with local prevalence rates of obesity and PA engagement. Unique public health services data on obesity prevention were obtained from 218 LHDs from six states in 2012. This subset of the MPROVE study investigated the reach, volume, and scope of public health delivery in the area of chronic disease prevention of obesity. The Public Health Activities and Services Tracking (PHAST) team continues to refine the MPROVE measures in consultation with public health practitioners and researchers, with hopes of standardizing a nationwide system for reporting public health activities and services.
The Multi-Network Public Health Practice and Outcome Variation Examination (MPROVE) study supports six established public health practice-based research networks (PBRNs) in implementing a collaborative research study of local public health delivery using the collective infrastructure of multiple PBRNs. Each PBRN comprises multiple local and state public health agencies that operate within the state, along with a university-based research center located in the state. The research project will involve creation of a multi-network registry of local public health delivery measures and analysis of the measures to investigate geographic variation in service delivery across a large and diverse collection of public health settings represented within the networks of the participating PBRNs. The study will focus on public health delivery measures in three domains of activity: communicable disease control, chronic disease prevention, and environmental health protection. While not comprehensive, these three domains are representative of the breadth of activities carried out by public health systems across the U.S. and are designed to address priority population health outcomes. These domains also represent areas where significant measurement development activities are already underway within one or more public health PBRNs that can be expanded and replicated across networks.
description: The purpose of the Public Health Activities and Services Tracking (PHAST) and the MPROVE study was fourfold: (1) Assemble measures of local public health service delivery in three domains of activities -communicable disease control, chronic disease prevention, and environmental health protection; (2) Analyze the extent and nature of demographic and geographic variations in public health delivery measures within and across the states; (3) Link public health delivery measures with secondary data sources on public health agency organization, financing, legal structures, and community health status; and (4) Identify organizational, financial, and legal characteristics that explain variation in public health delivery measures within and across the states.
description: All measures acquired and used in the study reflect aggregate service delivery in the local geopolitical jurisdiction served by the local public health agency: a county, a city or township, or a multi-county or multi-town district. Sub-county jurisdiction measures data are aggregated to county jurisdictions in order to align with demographics and BRFSS data. The measures of local public health delivery obtained and analyzed through this study reflect routine activities conducted by local and state public health agencies as part of their official governmental responsibilities. All measures are defined and constructed at the aggregate level of the local public health agency jurisdiction, and do not involve data on individually identifiable living human subjects. No protected health information and no personal identifying information was involved in this study.
description: Datasets: 
DS1: Multi-Network Practice and Outcome Variation Examination Study (MPROVE) in 6 United States, 2012-2013
description: Local public health departments from six selected states. Smallest Geographic Unit: Other
description: For additional information on the Multi-Network Practice and Outcome Variation Examination Study (MPROVE) in 6 United States, 2012-2013,
visit the MPROVE study website.