A Comprehensive, Community-Based Coalition to Address Racial Disparities in Chronic Disease: REACH in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania

Abstract: Background: Funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health Initiative, Live Well Allegheny: Lifting Wellness for African Americans (LWA) in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, aims to enhance health equity by addressing chronic disease in six African American communities via three key strategies: nutrition, physical activity, and community–clinical linkages. Objectives: This manuscript describes the coalition's partnership dynamics and evaluation methods with a focus on nutrition strategies. Methods: We have a network of committed partners implementing the strategies and we are evaluating our efforts using community asset mapping, county population-based survey data, qualitative process interviews, focus groups, and program performance measures. Results: The LWA coalition is the culmination of years of partnership building, which allows for more targeted activities related to health equity in the region. Thus far, the LWA coalition is thriving. The network of committed and talented partners in the nutrition strategy (healthy nutrition standards, food systems, and breastfeeding) reached 22 sites and more than 46,000 people during the first 2 years of the project. Process interviews conducted as part of the evaluation identified challenges and successes of implementation, and development of the coalition. Conclusions: This comprehensive evaluation approach supports formative processes, evaluation metrics, and prolonged sustainability plans of this community-based coalition.