Mechanisms for Understanding the Facilitators and Barriers to Capacity Building for Chronic Disease Prevention Activities

Abstract

This study explored facilitators and barriers to capacity building for chronic disease prevention (CDP) activities with participants in community-based workshops on environments related to CDP. Three phases of research were conducted. Worksheet analysis (Phase A) indicated that participants (n = 34) identified priority strategies related to the physical environment as a primary focus for CDP, followed by sociocultural, economic, and political environments. Questionnaire completion (Phase B; n = 17) indicated that individuals’ capacity was inhibited by a lack of organizational infrastructure (particularly, resources and public and research support). Interviews (Phase C; n = 11) revealed five factors that limited participants’ capacity: (a) organizations’ lack of competing priorities, (b) priorities secondary to the organizational mandate, (c) disconnect between organizational and government or funder priorities, (d) limited resources, and (e) larger community issues. Implications for research and practice are discussed.