Growing CAPITOL (Critical Age Periods Impacting the Trajectory of Obesogenic Lifestyles) 4 Life.

Introduction: Emerging evidence highlights the value of place-based approaches in improving community health, including preventing childhood obesity. These approaches leverage local knowledge, build trust, and support co-designed initiatives. This case study presents a project in North-West Tasmania that combined capacity building and collective impact strategies to promote optimal early childhood development during the first 1000 days (F1D), with academic researchers playing a supportive role.

Methods: The project aimed to raise health literacy among parents and caregivers in Burnie, Circular Head and Devonport. It employed a comprehensive strategy informed by theories on F1D importance, health equity, health literacy, and systems thinking, along with place-based and asset-based frameworks. A broad group of stakeholders were engaged, and a mapping of local assets guided the implementation.

Results: Key early activities included stakeholder engagement and community asset mapping, concluding in early 2024, followed by storytelling workshops and academic evaluations. Community campaigns and learning products were co-designed and activated during the balance of 2024.

Discussion: The project exemplified the key principles of collective impact: establishing a shared agenda, defining success measures, coordinating aligned activities, maintaining open communication, and creating a backbone structure for support and data coordination. It offered valuable lessons for future policy and program development by emphasizing the importance of context-specific adaptation and community-led design.