COMMUNITY HEALTH IMPROVEMENT RESEARCH GROUP - DZEWALTOWSKI LAB
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Coordinating community systems
- Data-driven decision making for promoting physical activity, nutrition, and other non infectious disease prevention behaviors in children.
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Our research team has developed an approach to coordinating community systems for population health outcomes based on creating an architecture for multi-level  local data-driven decision making in the design and implementation of evidence-based practices.  

​This approach was first presented as the Healthy Youth Places Framework to create a middle school prevention system with support from the National Institutes of Health RO1 HD37367.

Recent work is presenting the Wellness Landscape Model (Wellscapes) to create a whole-of-community prevention system with support from the National Cancer Institute of the NIH R01CA215420. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03380143
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The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.






Adaptations of the Healthy Places Model 


Original Healthy Youth Places Middle School Model
  • Dzewaltowski DA, Estabrooks PA, Welk G, et al. Healthy Youth Places: A Randomized Controlled Trial to Determine the Effectiveness of Facilitating Adult and Youth Leaders to Promote Physical Activity and Fruit and Vegetable Consumption in Middle Schools. Health Education & Behavior. 2009;36(3):583-600. doi:10.1177/1090198108314619 (Shown in Figure 2 Above). 
  • Dzewaltowski, D.A., Estabrooks, P.A., & Johnston , J.A.  (2002) Healthy Youth Places promoting nutrition and physical activity, Health Education Research, 17, 541–551, https://doi.org/10.1093/her/17.5.541
  • Dzewaltowski, D. A., Estabrooks, P. A., Gyurcsik, N. C., & Johnston, J. A. (2002). Promotion of physical activity through community development. In J. L. Van Raalte & B. W. Brewer (Eds.), Exploring sport and exercise psychology (p. 209–223). American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/10465-010

Example Applications of the Healthy Youth Places Modell
  • Dzewaltowski, D.A., Rosenkranz, R.R., Geller, K.S. et al. HOP'N after-school project: an obesity prevention randomized controlled trial. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act 7, 90 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1186/1479-5868-7-90
  • Coleman, K.J., Shordon, M., Caparosa, S.L. et al. The healthy options for nutrition environments in schools (Healthy ONES) group randomized trial: using implementation models to change nutrition policy and environments in low income schools. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act 9, 80 (2012).https://doi.org/10.1186/1479-5868-9-80
  • Chen, S., Dzewaltowski, D.A., Rosenkranz, R.R. et al. Feasibility study of the SWITCH implementation process for enhancing school wellness. BMC Public Health 18, 1119 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-018-6024-2
  • Dipti A. Dev, D. A. Dev, Irene Padasas, I. Padasas, Carly Hillburn, C. Hillburn, Virginia C. Stage, V. C. Stage, & David A. Dzewaltowski, D. A. Dzewaltowski. (2022). Using the RE-AIM Framework in Formative Evaluation of Ecological Approach to Family Style Multilevel Child Care Intervention. Journal of nutrition education and behavior, , -. doi: 10.1016/j.jneb.2022.03.005

Wellscapes Model for Community Population Health Improvement 
  • Schenkelberg, M. A., Rosen, M. S., Bavari, A. E., Norgelas, S. J., Rosenkranz, R. R., Welk, G. J., & Dzewaltowski, D. A. (2021). A protocol for coordinating rural community stakeholders to implement whole-of-community youth physical activity surveillance through school systems. Preventive Medicine Reports, 24, 101536.
  • Kellstedt, D. K., Schenkelberg, M. A., Welk, G. J., Rosenkranz, R. R., Idoate, R., Ramos, A. K., ... & Dzewaltowski, D. A. (2021). Rural community systems: Youth physical activity promotion through community collaboration. Preventive Medicine Reports, 23, 101486.
  • Kellstedt, D. K., Schenkelberg, M. A., Von Seggern, M. J., Rosenkranz, R. R., Welk, G. J., High, R., & Dzewaltowski, D. A. (2021). Youth sport participation and physical activity in rural communities. Archives of public health, 79(1), 1-8.
  • Essay, A., Schenkelberg, M. A., Rosen, M. S., Bavari, A. E., Norgelas, S. J., Rosenkranz, R. R., Welk, G. J., & Dzewaltowski, D. A. (2021). A protocol for coordinating rural community stakeholders to implement whole-of-community youth physical activity surveillance through school systems. Preventive Medicine Reports, 24, 101536.

Modeling the Social Interpersonal Practice Dynamics of Children's Organized Group Activities

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Our research team has developed an approach to modeling children's organized group activities impact on high frequency preventive health behaviors, such as physical activity,  through modeling the system interpersonal coordination pattern dynamics defined by space and time boundaries.

​Episode boundary (start and stop point defined by activity purpose)
  • Schlechter, C. R., Guagliano, J. M., Rosenkranz, R. R., Milliken, G. A., & Dzewaltowski, D. A. (2018). Physical activity patterns across time-segmented youth sport flag football practice. BMC public health, 18(1), 226. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-018-5108-3 (Shown in Figure above).
Session boundary (start and stop point defined by session purpose)
  • Schlechter, C. R., Rosenkranz, R. R., Guagliano, J. M., & Dzewaltowski, D. A. (2018). Impact of troop leader training on the implementation of physical activity opportunities in Girl Scout troop meetings. Translational behavioral medicine, 8(6), 824-830.                               https://doi.org/10.1093/tbm/iby091
  • Guagliano, J. M., Kolt, G. S., Rosenkranz, R. R., & Dzewaltowski, D. A. (2019). Does self-determined motivation interact with environmental contexts to influence moderate-to-vigorous physical activity during a girls’ youth sport camp?. Journal of sports sciences, 37(23), 2720-2725 https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2019.1662537
  • Schlechter, C. R., Rosenkranz, R. R., Fees, B. S., & Dzewaltowski, D. A. (2017). Preschool daily patterns of physical activity driven by location and social context. Journal of school health, 87(3), 194-199. https://doi.org/10.1111/josh.12486
  • Guagliano, J. M., Updyke, N. J., Rodicheva, N. V., Rosenkranz, S. K., Dzewaltowski, D. A., Schlechter, C. R., & Rosenkranz, R. R. (2017). Influence of session context on physical activity levels among Russian girls during a summer camp. Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, 88(3), 352-357. https://doi.org/10.1080/02701367.2017.1331291

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Dr. David A.. Dzewaltowski
Professor
Community Chair  In 
Activity, Nutrition, & Obesity Prevention
      College of Public Health 
     University of Nebraska Medical Center 

Professor Emeritus
      Kansas State University


​​"We started rigorous community research in 1999 as part of a National Institutes of Health school randomized trial of how to build healthy youth places.  We formed www.healthyplaces.org as a place-based approach to improve the health (physical activity and nutrition) and development of youth.  Now we are leading innovation on whole-of-community systems research with new strategy, fostering locally lead efforts to build equitable community opportunities or wellness landscapes (www.wellscapes.org) for youth. This work is funded by the NIH National Cancer Institute."






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Ann Essay, MPH
​Research Coordinator
College of Public Health
University of Nebraska Medical Center





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"Our laboratory is investigating community, organization and group processes that drive structural opportunities for improved youth health behavior.  We study community-driven practices through rigorous research methods using video observation and objective measurement of health behavior, such as using accelerometers to measure physical activity.  By pairing measures of community, organization, and group structures and processes with measures of health behavior, we can establish how community social ecological systems impact the lives of youth, how structures in opportunities impact youth,  and what communities can do to provide more opportunities for all children."
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Dzewaltowski Interview on Community Wellness
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Wellscapes Coordinator
College of Public Health
University of Nebraska Medical Center​

"Wellscapes is a method for community-driven efforts to build a community landscape of healthy places. A community with a patchwork of different places providing healthy opportunities where children and families go, such as school, after school programs, clubs, faith groups, and youth sport, can provide a local environment to support healthy development and behavior. By using data to drive decision making, embedding community systems change, and providing professional development, communities can combine efforts to create a mosaic of healthy places to live, work, learn, and play.  Click on wellscapes.org to signup for the community population health improvement method for children"
    Wellness Landscape Communities

Current Projects

2018-2023
  • Whole of Community Systems Intervention for Youth Population Physical Activity
    • 1RO1 CA215420-01A1, NIH, National Cancer Institute
    • Dzewaltowski, David A. (PI)​
2019-2022
  • Indigenous Qualitative Inquiry in Implementation Science Community Hub Coalitions in Whole-of-Community Systems Interventions
    • 3R01CA21542002S1, NIH, National Cancer Institute
    • Dzewaltowski, David A. (PI, Mentor)
    • Idoate, Regina (Mentee)
2021-2026
  • Increasing Compliance with Physical Education Laws to Reduce Health Inequities
    • 1K01HL151805-01A1 NIH, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
    • Thompson, Hannah R. (PI)
    • Dzewaltowski, David (Mentor)

2020-2021
  • Smart and connected childcare communities
    • ​​1952231 National Science Foundation
    • Raikes, Abbie (PI)
    • Ryherd, E (Co-PI)
    • Dinkel, D (Co-PI)
    • Dzewaltowski, D.A. (Co-PI)
2019-2023
  • Patient-Clinic-Community Integration to Prevent Obesity among Rural Preschool Children
    • Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute
    • Bailey-Davis, Lisa (PI), Gessinger Health System
    • Dzewaltowski, D.A. (Co-I)
2017-2020
  • Evaluating a Systems-Based Health Intervention for Middle School Wellness
    • 1 R21 HD090513-01A1, NIH, NICHD
    • Chen, Senlin (PI), Louisiana State University
    • Dzewaltowski (Co-I)
​2018-Ongoing
  • Meal Time Quality and Healthy Eating in Early Child Care
    • USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture and the Nebraska Agricultural Experiment Station
    • Dev, Dipti (PI), University of Nebraska, Lincoln
    • Dzewaltowski (Co-I, Mentor)
2021 – 2022 
  • Coordinating Whole-of-Community Systems for Early Life Cancer Prevention in the Great Plains: All Sports for All Kids Project
    • ​Dzewaltowski, D.A (PI)
    • Dev, Dipti Co-(PI),
    • Rosen, Marisa (C0-PI)
​2021 – 2022
  • SensiTray: Improving Feasibility and Validity in Children’s Dietary Assessment.
    • NIH P20gM10431 Seed grant, Zempleni, (PI)
    • ​​Dev, D. A., (PI)
    • Pitla, S (Co-PI)
    • ​Dzewaltowski, D.A (Co-PI)
    • Guru, H
2015-Ongoing
  • Iowa SWITCH - Dissemination of the Evidence-Based SWITCH® Program for Childhood Obesity Prevention
    • 2015-68001-23242, National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA)
    • Welk, Greg (PI), Iowa State University

SELECTED AWARDS

Distinguished Scientist Award
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The Distinguished Scientist Award -- which is sponsored by the chancellor and recognizes researchers who have been among the most productive scientists at the University of Nebraska Medical Center during the past five years -- was awarded to Dr. David Dzewaltowski.


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Outstanding MPH Capstone Award
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Research Assistant Ann Essay receives the UNMC College of Public Health Outstanding Capstone Award from Dean Ali Khan for her research with Children's Hospital Center for the Child & Community on geographic variability in childhood obesity in Omaha.
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  • Home
    • Contact Us
  • Our Research Group
    • Mentees
    • Join Our Lab
  • Our Work
    • Projects >
      • Active Projects >
        • Wellscapes
      • Past Projects >
        • HOP'N Childcare
        • HOP'N After School
        • Healthier Troops in a SNAP - Girl Scouts
        • Healthy Youth Middle School Places
        • Youth Sport
    • Research & Evaluation Tools >
      • Child Leadership Observation
  • Scientific Contributions
  • Presentations on Video