Michael and Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living

Project Overview

GAVA is a coalition of residents, community leaders, and nonprofits that share a common interest in improving the health of the Dove Springs and 78745 communities. It is a place-based, multi-component obesity intervention targeting multiple community sectors with an emphasis on the built environment. The environmental changes resulting from GAVA’s efforts are hypothesized to lead to increases in healthy eating and physical activity among all residents of the community.

The research team from the Dell Center is leading the evaluation of the impact of the GAVA Initiative through a series of studies including a cohort study and a serial, cross sectional study. The overarching goal of the 5-year GAVA evaluation study is to measure the impact of the GAVA initiative on awareness of resources, barriers to using resources, utilization of resources, obesity-related behaviors and weight status of residents in a low-income, ethnically diverse communities. The GAVA evaluation study is headed by Dr. Alexandra van den Berg (PI) and Dr. Nalini Ranjit (Co-PI), with Aida Nielsen as Project Director. Field and research staff assisting the evaluation include Nika Akhavan, Christine Jovanovic, Kathryn Janda, Martha Diaz, Gozie Ibeji, and Laurence Denis. For more details, see under People.

For more information about GAVA, visit GoAustinVamosAustin.org

GAVA blog series from the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation

• Oct 23, 2014 - Fighting childhood obesity- Key wins in one zip code (78745)
• Oct 16, 2014 - Fighting childhood obesity: Key wins in one zip code (78744)
• Sep 16, 2014 - Zip codes & genetic codes, part 6: To fight childhood obesity, measure what matters, celebrate the wins and keep learning
• Jul 7, 2014 - Zip codes & genetic codes, part 5: Beating childhood obesity means getting everyone to run in the same direction
• Jun 2, 2014 - Zip codes & genetic codes, part 4: Guardrails, pragmatism and unicorns
• Apr 22, 2014 - Zip codes & genetic codes, part 3: Healthy communities are built on relationships, trust
• Mar 18, 2014 - Zip codes & genetic codes, part 2: How we selected a focal point for our place-based childhood obesity prevention efforts
• Mar 11, 2014 - Zip codes & genetic codes, part 1: Fighting childhood obesity in our own backyard

Mission

Go! Austin / Vamos! Austin (GAVA) is a coalition of residents, community leaders, and nonprofits working to improve the health of communities in 78744 and 78745 by increasing access to and participation in physical activity and improved nutrition. GAVA uses community organizing and institutional alignment to improve the health of the built environment and build community power for health equity in five sectors: Physical Activity, Healthy Food Access, Coordinated School Health, Early Childhood, and Community Safety.

Learn more about GAVA on their Facebook page

 

Nika Akhavan, MPH

Research Assistant, GAVA Evaluation Study

Martha Diaz Marin

Research Assistant, GAVA Evaluation Study

Alexandra (Sandra) van den Berg, MPH, PhD

Principal Investigator, GAVA Evaluation Study; Co-Investigator, Texas SNAP-Ed Evaluation

Aida Nielsen, MPH

Project Director, GAVA Evaluation Study

Nalini Ranjit, PhD

Principal Investigator, Texas SNAP-Ed Evaluation; Co-Principal Investigator, GAVA Evaluation Study

Next steps in the movement towards better health

Since the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation and our partners launched Go Austin! ¡Vamos Austin! (GAVA) in 2012, we’ve seen incredible changes in two communities. Our goal was to engage a cross-section of the community in coordinated childhood obesity prevention, and to find the sweet spot where local engagement meets evidence-based best practice.