Prenotification Letter

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Dear [First Name Last Name],

On behalf of the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), NORC at the University of Chicago (NORC) is conducting the Community Based Survey of Supports for Healthy Eating and Active Living (CBS HEAL). This national study seeks to gather information on the existence of certain policies, standards, and practices enacted or implemented by local governments that promote more healthful eating and physical activity for residents.

Your municipality was selected randomly to participate and you were identified as the person best able to address questions about the policies enacted by your local government. In approximately 1 week, you will receive a survey invitation letter with information to complete the survey over the web.

The survey includes questions on the communitywide planning documents of local governments; policies that improve the built environment to support physical activity, such as Complete Streets policies or policies about parks; and policies that support increasing access to healthful foods, such as nutrition standards for government facilities or policies that provide incentives to locate supermarkets or farmers markets in areas of need.

To provide the most accurate and complete information on your local government’s policies and standards, you may need to consult with another person, such as a parks and recreation department representative, a tax office or procurement department representative, or a transportation department representative.

CDC will use this information to evaluate the extent to which local communities have in place policy and environmental supports for healthy eating and active living consistent with recommendations from expert groups. Results will also help CDC learn about the characteristics of communities with these policies and practices.

In addition, you will be provided access to aggregate data collected to see how your municipality compares with other communities nationally or with communities of a similar geography, population size, and urban status. This information may help communities understand which policies and practices might be most feasible.

If you have any questions about the study, please contact the NORC project team toll free at XXX-XXX-XXXX or email ([email protected]).

Sincerely,

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