Abstract Body: Introduction: Whole-of-community interventions engage multiple sectors to address determinants of cardiovascular health, particularly for racialized and socioeconomically marginalized populations. The Building Access to Food through Systems and Solidarity (BASIS) project collaborates with academia, farming organizations, elementary schools and community-based organizations to improve diet and achieve nutrition security in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. We conducted social network analysis to evaluate partnerships and community engagement efforts impacting BASIS implementation.
Methods: We invited 10 core BASIS partners to participate in a staff-administered network survey between December 2023 and January 2024. We constructed network maps and examined collaboration, relationship strength, and information exchange.
Results: Nine out of 10 partners completed the interviews, representing the four BASIS sectors addressing nutrition health disparities in low-income, immigrant, and racialized communities in New York City. On average, partners had been involved with BASIS for two years, with 31 full-time and six part-time employees directly involved. All partners reported strong commitment to BASIS, attending regular meetings, helping with programming, and outreach. Most (88.9%) offered BASIS programming, 77.8% helped with outreach or provided technical assistance, and 22.2% connected BASIS to policymakers. About 80% of reported direct interactions in the past year, with 46.2% indicating occasional communication, 13.8% engaged in coordination, and 40% forming partnership. For information sharing, 63-100% shared information and 50-100% received it. For resources, 37.5-100% shared resources and 25-100% received them. For referrals, 0-88% sent referrals and 12.5-87.5% received them. All partners reported BASIS frequently fostered new, beneficial relationships; 77.8% reported they often had increased access to funding/resources, 66.7% often experienced greater capacity, 55.6% often saw better use of their services, and 44.4% often gained new knowledge/skills.
Conclusions: Findings demonstrate the partnership dynamics that inform effective delivery of the BASIS program. We will assess BASIS network characteristics over the four-year project period. Social network actors and activities are important determinants of dissemination and implementation efforts, helping to identify areas for improved engagement and strengthen the network’s capacity for effective health promotion.