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Mandatory presurgical, behavior-induced weight loss, although not standard, is a relatively common practice among bariatric surgical clinics. We explore the patient's experience of this practice using phenomenology. We gathered experiential accounts from 7 individuals waiting to have the procedure at a large publically funded clinic in western Canada. In writing this article, we focused on four phenomenological themes: "just nod your head and carry on"-silencing through the ideal; waiting and weighing-promoting weight consciousness to the weight conscious; paying for surgical approval through weight loss; and presurgical weight loss and questioning the need for weight loss surgery altogether. We contrast the experiential findings with the clinical literature to question the impact and possible (unintended or unexpected) effects the practice might have, particularly on patients' lives. We situate this article within a larger discussion about the possible contribution of experiential knowledge to clinical guidelines, practices, and pedagogies., (© The Author(s) 2014.)

The Alberta Policy Coalition for Cancer Prevention (APCCP) represents practitioners, policy makers, researchers, and community organizations working together to coordinate efforts and advocate for policy change to reduce chronic diseases. The aim of this research was to capture changes in the APCCP's capacity to advance its goals over the course of its operation. We adapted the Public Health Agency of Canada's validated Community Capacity-Building Tool to capture policy work. All members of the APCCP were invited to complete the tool in 2010 and 2011. Responses were analyzed using descriptive statistics and t tests. Qualitative comments were analyzed using thematic content analysis. A group process for reaching consensus provided context to the survey responses and contributed to a participatory analysis. Significant improvement was observed in eight out of nine capacity domains. Lessons learned highlight the importance of balancing volume and diversity of intersectoral representation to ensure effective participation, as well as aligning professional and economic resources. Defining involvement and roles within a coalition can be a challenging activity contingent on the interests of each sector represented. The participatory analysis enabled the group to reflect on progress made and future directions for policy advocacy., (© 2013 Society for Public Health Education.)

This study explored facilitators and barriers to capacity building for chronic disease prevention (CDP) activities with participants in community-based workshops on environments related to CDP. Three phases of research were conducted. Worksheet analysis (Phase A) indicated that participants (n = 34) identified priority strategies related to the physical environment as a primary focus for CDP, followed by sociocultural, economic, and political environments. Questionnaire completion (Phase B; n = 17) indicated that individuals' capacity was inhibited by a lack of organizational infrastructure (particularly, resources and public and research support). Interviews (Phase C; n = 11) revealed five factors that limited participants' capacity: (a) organizations' lack of competing priorities, (b) priorities secondary to the organizational mandate, (c) disconnect between organizational and government or funder priorities, (d) limited resources, and (e) larger community issues. Implications for research and practice are discussed.