Roberts & Kay, Inc. -- Kentucky Department for Health Services

Kentucky Department for Health Services

2004

In February 2004, the Cardiovascular Health Program of the Kentucky Department for Public Health engaged RKI to carry out an early stage exploration of ways to encourage certain parental and parent surrogate health behaviors that could help prevent obesity in children aged 9 to 13. In April and May, 2004, RKI conducted focus groups among low-income African Americans and low-income European Americans in Lexington. Kentucky, and produced both a detailed report of focus group findings and a social marketing plan.

The research intended to lay a foundation of knowledge to be used in encouraging sound cardiovascular health practices among adults raising 9 - 13 year-old children. The main objective of the social marketing plan was to pinpoint the influence strategies health care professionals could use to encourage Kentucky adults who are raising 9 - 13 year-old children to adopt three cardiovascular health behaviors as regular practices: blood pressure testing, cholesterol testing, and physical activity. The research sponsors reasonsed that, in addition to improving the adults’ cardiovascular health, improvements in the adults' cardiovascular health practices would yield beneficial short- and long-term health benefits for the children in these households.

2004

In January, 2004, the Nutrition Services Branch of the Kentucky Department for Public Health charged the “Choose 1% or Less” Committee with increasing Kentuckians’ consumption of milk and dairy products containing 1% or less fat. In spring, 2004, the Committee engaged RKI to carry out focus group research and recommend ways to strengthen the campaign in rural and small town Kentucky. RKI completed the research and developed a practical social marketing plan for to guide the Committee's work in influencing rural and small town Kentuckians' dairy consumption habits.

Summer, 1994

For the Kentucky Department for Health Services we served as advisers, designers, facilitators, and trainers for an extensive statewide community-based planning effort to stop the spread of HIV infection. This effort carried out mandates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that unusually diverse groups form and work toward a common vision. Rona also taught 40 people involved in this project how to design, recruit, facilitate and analyze their own focus groups.

Visit other descriptions of our work in the areas of research and community change and citizen engagement.