Programs to Reduce Obesity in High Obesity Areas to Boost Prevention | Apply Online

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is the purpose of the Programs to Reduce Obesity in High Obesity Areas to Boost Prevention (CDC RFA DP16-1613) grant?

This CDC-funded cooperative agreement supports counties with especially high obesity rates in putting practical, evidence-based strategies into place to improve nutrition and physical activity for children, youth, and their families. The program is positioned as a prevention approach that can also reduce risk for chronic diseases linked to obesity, including diabetes, heart disease, and stroke.

What public health problem is this funding designed to address?

The opportunity is built around the continuing reality that obesity remains a major U.S. public health issue and that the burden is not shared equally. The notice highlights higher youth obesity rates among African-American, Hispanic, Alaska Native, and American Indian populations compared to non-Hispanic white youth, and it recognizes that low-income and rural communities often experience higher rates as well.

Who is this program intended to serve?

The focus is on children, youth, and their families living in counties with high obesity prevalence. The program also emphasizes reaching communities that often face higher obesity rates, including certain racial and ethnic populations and low-income and rural areas.

What types of organizations are expected to lead the work?

While eligibility is listed broadly as "Others" (with more detail referenced in the full eligibility text), the narrative clearly centers Land Grant Colleges and Universities as the intended lead implementers due to their county-level cooperative extension and outreach capacity.

Why are Land Grant Colleges and Universities and extension networks central to this opportunity?

The program leverages Land Grant institutions and their established cooperative extension and outreach networks because extension agents often have long-standing local relationships, credibility, and day-to-day presence in communities. Those connections are positioned as a practical advantage for coordinating local coalitions, identifying barriers, tailoring interventions to a county context, and aligning with other efforts already operating in the area.

What is meant by a "local, multi-sector approach" in this grant?

The program is designed to go beyond traditional public health agencies by engaging community coalitions and a mix of public and private partners. Recipients are expected to coordinate across sectors at the county level to address local barriers to healthy eating and active living, rather than relying on a single organization or a single type of intervention.

How does DP16-1613 relate to the earlier CDC initiative DP14-1416?

The main purpose is to expand the reach of the earlier CDC initiative (DP14-1416) by funding Land Grant institutions in states that had not previously received support under that earlier effort.

What kinds of strategies does the program emphasize?

The work focuses on implementing interventions that reduce risk factors for childhood obesity by improving access and opportunities for healthier choices. In practical terms, this includes increasing the availability and affordability of healthier foods and beverages and expanding safe, convenient options for physical activity.

Does the grant focus more on education or on changing community conditions?

The opportunity explicitly pushes applicants to address structural and environmental conditions in high-obesity counties, such as limited access to healthy foods and fewer built-environment supports for being active, rather than focusing only on individual education. Education and knowledge-building may be included, but the emphasis is on changes that make healthier choices easier and more routine in everyday settings.

What types of barriers are applicants expected to address?

The notice recognizes that many high-obesity counties face structural challenges, including limited access to healthy foods and fewer built-environment supports for physical activity. Applicants are expected to identify local barriers and tailor interventions to directly address those conditions.

Where are interventions expected to take place?

The program prioritizes changes in the places where children and families spend time, including schools, after-school spaces, early care and education environments, community venues, and other local institutions.

What is the role of community coalitions in this program?

Funded recipients are expected to work with community coalitions to identify county-specific barriers, build on community strengths and assets, coordinate partners, tailor interventions, and align with other public health efforts already present in the area.

Are interventions required to be evidence-based?

Yes. The opportunity describes the strategies as practical and evidence-based, with the goal of improving nutrition and physical activity at the community level.

What outcomes is the grant trying to achieve in the long term?

The grant aims to create durable, county-level changes that can outlast the grant period. By anchoring interventions in local coalitions, aligning them with existing programs, and improving food and physical activity environments, the initiative is intended to produce long-term community health gains and reduce obesity prevalence over time.

What type of funding mechanism is DP16-1613?

It is a discretionary cooperative agreement funded through HHS/CDC, specifically through the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP).

What is the CFDA number for this opportunity?

The opportunity is listed under CFDA 93.319.

What is the maximum award amount listed in the notice?

The maximum award amount listed is $800,000.

How many awards were expected?

The notice lists an expected three awards.

When was the opportunity posted and when did it close?

The opportunity was posted on June 3, 2016. The original and current closing date listed was August 2, 2016.

How does this program connect obesity prevention to chronic disease prevention?

The notice frames obesity reduction as a prevention strategy because obesity is closely linked with increased risk of chronic diseases, including diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. By improving nutrition and physical activity environments for children and families, the program aims to reduce upstream risk factors.

Why does the grant emphasize aligning with existing public health efforts?

The program expects recipients to coordinate with other public health initiatives already operating in the county so interventions are not duplicative, are better integrated locally, and are more likely to be sustained.

What is the underlying approach the program takes to behavior change?

The program is built on the idea that when healthier food and physical activity options are more available, affordable, safe, and convenient in everyday settings, behavior change becomes easier and more likely to last.