New Research Project to Transfer Knowledge to Create Healthy Rural Communities

Professor Wayne Caldwell's research project to transfer knowledge to create healthy rural communities received funding from the Knowledge Translation and Transfer research program.

Transforming knowledge into action requires knowledge to be shared with key stakeholders. A longtime advocate for the health and vitality of rural communities, including the built environment, Dr. Wayne Caldwell directed a locally driven, collaborative project called the Healthy Rural Communities Project, which was funded by Public Health Ontario (for more information, visit the "Healthy Rural Communities Tool Kit.  A Guide for Rural Municipalities."  The project document highlighted “land use and development strategies that can help to enhance the rural built environment and contribute to positive quality of life and health outcomes.” Although the project was well-received in the circles in which it was shared, broader-based dissemination of the research is needed to apply the profiled innovative practices to contribute to developing healthy communities and healthy populations in Ontario.

Recognizing this need, the project team applied for a Knowledge Translation and Transfer (KTT) Funding Program sponsored by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA). The application was approved, and the KTT Project is set to launch in September 2015.

This KTT project will convene workshops in rural communities that include planners, health units, politicians and community members to disseminate and draw attention to strategies that can help develop healthy rural communities. Project activities will include in-person knowledge transfer through workshops and conferences and online sharing of knowledge through social media and web-based platforms, including an interactive website. Dr. Caldwell believes that applying this research can help create healthier communities in which rural people can thrive, and this funding will help pave the path toward positive impact.