Nutrition and Physical Activity: Strategic Plans for Community Interventions
Community intervention is needed for overweight and obesity prevention. Planning for an effective community intervention requires two key steps: developing a high-level strategic plan and a specific intervention action plan.
We’re here to help you work through each step. We offer tools, resources, and examples to address physical activity and nutrition in various community settings.
Strategic plan
Your strategic plan sets a high-level overview of goals for your group. The strategic plan should set long-term goals to cover the next two to five years. An example of a comprehensive plan would be to develop an outline of how the group will increase opportunities for physical activity in your community.
Intervention action plans are more detailed. Action plans outline short-term efforts for a specific intervention. Here’s an example of an action plan: To work with the schools to expand after-school activities for children and make school facilities available to community members during off hours.
After you’ve completed your long-range strategic plan, see the Intervention Action Planning Example. (PDF) Then you’ll be ready to begin Creating an Intervention Action Plan.
Resources
A strategic plan provides overall direction for reaching a goal (or set of goals) over a period of several years. It’s used to help a coalition or other group focus its resources and energy. The plan ensures that all members are working toward the same goals. It can help you assess and adjust the direction of your intervention in response to changing conditions.
This Strategic Planning Example (PDF) is a step-by-step guide on what to include in a strategic plan.
The University of Wisconsin Extension has many resources to help communities with planning. Contact your local extension office within the University of Wisconsin System.
Moving to the Future
Moving to the Future is an online resource to help health professionals plan successful nutrition and physical activity programs. We offer a series of five training programs that cover the content in Moving to the Future. This training series was developed for state and local public health professionals in Wisconsin by the:
- Wisconsin Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC).
- Wisconsin Nutrition and Physical Activity Program.
- Association of State and Territorial Public Health Nutrition Directors.
Chapter 1: Community Assessment
Chapter 2: Identify Priorities, Goals & Objectives
Chapter 3: Develop a Nutrition and Physical Activity Plan
Social marketing
Social marketing is important while you build partnerships and make plans. It’s also needed during a structured and strategic planning process. Use it to influence the behavior of policymakers and others who affect policy and environmental changes. You also should use social marketing to lead behavior changes by people targeted for intervention.
The Community Tool Box
The Community Tool Box provides information, examples, and tools for developing a strategic plan. It also can help you develop vision and mission statements.