Health is about more than health care. Where people live can have a profound influence on daily choices that can promote population health—or harm it. Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute (KPWHRI) scientists work to improve and sustain community conditions that support health and equity.
At KPWHRI’s Center for Community Health and Evaluation (CCHE) we are working with foundations, nonprofit organizations, and government agencies to evaluate their community health improvement initiatives. A few examples:
CCHE serves as the evaluation partner for Kaiser Permanente Washington’s (KPWA) Community Health and Benefit program, providing evaluation and strategic support for a wide range of regional initiatives, including built environment improvements in the community, school-based health centers, and healthy eating/active living programming for teachers. Beyond CCHE, other KPWHRI researchers are exploring opportunities to improve population health by creating healthier communities. Among these efforts are:
Answering questions about what makes a healthy environment gives policymakers, urban planners, and others the information they need to create healthier communities in the future.
Gupta S, Rose CM, Buszkiewicz J, Ko LK, Mou J, Cook A, Aggarwal A, Drewnowski A. Characterizing percent energy from ultra-processed foods by participant demographics, diet quality, and diet cost findings from the Seattle Obesity Study SOS III. Br J Nutr. 2020 Nov 23;1-29. doi: 10.1017/S0007114520004705. PubMed
Rosenberg D, Walker R, Greenwood-Hickman MA, Bellettiere J, Xiang Y, Richmire K, Higgins M, Wing D, Larson EB, Crane PK, LaCroix AZ. Device-assessed physical activity and sedentary behavior in a community-based cohort of older adults. BMC Public Health. 2020 Aug 18;20(1):1256. doi: 10.1186/s12889-020-09330-z. PubMed
Takemoto M, Schechtman M, Villa N, Talavera G, Sears DD, Owen N, Rosenberg DE, Dunstan D, Allison M, Kerr J. Arriba por la vida Estudio (AVE): study protocol for a standing intervention targeting postmenopausal Latinas. Contemp Clin Trials. 2019 Apr;79:66-72. doi: 10.1016/j.cct.2019.02.004. Epub 2019 Feb 13. PubMed
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Kroshus E, Sonnen AJ, Chrisman SP, Rivara FP. Association between community socioeconomic characteristics and access to youth flag football. Inj Prev. 2018 Jan 12. pii: injuryprev-2017-042677. doi: 10.1136/injuryprev-2017-042677. [Epub ahead of print]. PubMed
![]() Allen Cheadle, PhDSenior Research Associate, Center for Community Health & Evaluation; Senior Investigator, KPWHRI |
![]() Clarissa Hsu, PhDAssistant Investigator |
![]() Dori E. Rosenberg, PhD, MPHAssociate Investigator |
![]() Leah Tuzzio, MPHResearch Associate |
![]() Maricela Cruz, PhDAssistant Investigator |
David Grembowski, PhD
Professor, Health Services and Oral Health Sciences
University of Washington