Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41811291›Full record

ArticleHealth promotion and chronic disease prevention in Canada : research, policy and practice2026

Shaping healthier futures: community-level impact of the Alberta Healthy Communities Approach.

Christina Gillies, Lisa K Allen-Scott, Courtney Baay, Nicole Frenette, Jacky Ka Kei Liu, Stephanie Patterson

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Health promotion and chronic disease prevention in Canada : research, policy and practice, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Natural experiments in the built environment: evaluating impacts on health.Health promotion and chronic disease prevention in Canada : research, policy and practice · 2026
    Article
  2. Natural experiments for healthier communities: evidence to drive Canadian policy and practice.Health promotion and chronic disease prevention in Canada : research, policy and practice · 2026
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Christina GilliesPublic Health Evidence & Innovation, Primary Care Alberta, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Lisa K Allen-ScottPublic Health Evidence & Innovation, Primary Care Alberta, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Courtney BaayPublic Health Evidence & Innovation, Primary Care Alberta, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Nicole FrenettePublic Health Evidence & Innovation, Primary Care Alberta, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Jacky Ka Kei LiuPublic Health Evidence & Innovation, Primary Care Alberta, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Stephanie PattersonPublic Health Evidence & Innovation, Primary Care Alberta, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionBuilt environment initiatives that change the physical places in which people live, work and play offer an approach to preventing cancer and chronic diseases. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the Alberta Healthy Communities Approach Phase II (AHCA II), a community-based approach to creating healthy environments within and across rural communities and addressing modifiable health behaviours to prevent and reduce cancer and chronic disease.

methodsNineteen rural communities participated in AHCA II. Data collected with and by community members included two pre- and postimplementation assessment tools and postimplementation focus groups and surveys. Qualitative and quantitative data sources were triangulated to determine community-level outcomes and impacts.

resultsThe evaluation found three key outcomes and impacts of the AHCA: supportive (built) environments for health; community wellness culture; and community capacity. These intersecting categories demonstrate the positive effects of healthy community initiatives on improving the built environment and supporting health behaviours such as healthy eating, physical activity, ultraviolet radiation protection and tobacco reduction.

conclusionIn addition to improving supportive environments for health, the AHCA facilitated cultural changes and improved community capacity within and across rural communities in Alberta. Each of these components is required to support long-term behaviour changes that promote health and prevent cancer and chronic disease. While these results are encouraging, time and additional evaluations are required to determine whether behavioural changes are sustained and result in reduced rates of cancer and chronic disease.

Indexed as

Built EnvironmentHealth PromotionNeoplasmsAlbertaChronic DiseaseFemaleFocus GroupsHealth BehaviorHumansRural Populationbuilt environmentchronic diseaseevaluationHealthy Communities Approachprimary prevention

Identifiers

PMID41811291
PMCPMC13151419

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.