Posted on September 27, 2005 at 9:55 a.m.

BIRMINGHAM, AL — Flying Sparks, a new program of UAB’s Center for Health Promotion, is working to reduce health risks in Alabama’s Black Belt communities.

“Like a spark from a small flame caught and carried by the wind, the program aims to take what we’ve learned from partnering with a few communities and expand it throughout the region,” said Connie Kohler, Ph.D., UAB associate professor of public health.

For 10 years, UAB has worked with rural communities, primarily in Perry and Wilcox counties, to identify health needs and develop resources. “From these community partnerships we’ve developed a Community Health Toolbox of training materials to help communities build better health,” Kohler said. “The Flying Sparks program will share this toolbox with 22 communities in seven Alabama counties — Marengo, Wilcox, Lowndes, Perry, Sumter, Monroe and Dallas — in hopes of igniting good health practices.”

One aim is to determine how well these materials translate into effective good health programs. “We’re also interested in determining the role of a community’s social capital — its resources, facilities and ability to work together — in the success and sustainability of these programs,” Kohler said.

Currently, community advisors are recruiting and training interviewers to conduct surveys to gather information about health, health practices and access to medical care in Flying Sparks communities. “This program is very driven by community needs, based on the input we receive from residents,” Kohler said. “We will talk with at least 1700 people in the 22 communities.”

Then, in the spring, community representatives will receive the Community Health Toolbox, which includes four training manuals on general health, nutrition, physical activity and smoking cessation; training videos; “best practice” guides; and other health promotion materials.

“In two years, we will reassess communities to see how they are doing,” Kohler said. “We hope to find communities’ health much improved.”