UNDERSTANDING PLACE-BASED AND ORGANIZATIONAL DETERMINANTS OF IMPLEMENTATION IN A FAITH-BASED PHYSICAL ACTIVITY PROGRAM - PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT NEARLY 75% OF U.S. ADULTS DO NOT MEET RECOMMENDED PHYSICAL ACTIVITY GUIDELINES, CONTRIBUTING TO ELEVATED RATES OF CHRONIC DISEASE AND RISING HEALTHCARE COSTS. WHILE EVIDENCE-BASED PHYSICAL ACTIVITY INTERVENTIONS ARE AVAILABLE, THEIR TRANSLATION INTO COMMUNITY SETTINGS REMAINS A MAJOR CHALLENGE. A KEY BARRIER IS THE LACK OF ALIGNMENT BETWEEN PROGRAM DELIVERY AND THE SPECIFIC CONDITIONS OF THE NEIGHBORHOODS AND ORGANIZATIONS WHERE THEY ARE IMPLEMENTED. PLACE-BASED FACTORS, DEFINED AS THE SPECIFIC CHARACTERISTICS OF A GEOGRAPHIC AREA THAT INFLUENCE THE WELL-BEING OF INDIVIDUALS LIVING THERE, PLAY A SIGNIFICANT ROLE IN SHAPING HEALTH BEHAVIORS AND OUTCOMES. HOWEVER, FEW STUDIES HAVE EMPIRICALLY EXAMINED HOW PLACE-BASED AND ORGANIZATIONAL FACTORS INTERACT TO INFLUENCE CORE IMPLEMENTATION OUTCOMES SUCH AS REACH (E.G., PARTICIPANT ATTENDANCE) AND FIDELITY (E.G., ADHERENCE TO PROGRAM PROTOCOLS). THIS PROJECT ADDRESSES THIS CRITICAL GAP USING DATA FROM 32 FAITH-BASED ORGANIZATIONS PARTICIPATING IN FAITH IN ACTION, AN EVIDENCE-BASED PHYSICAL ACTIVITY PROGRAM. THE FIRST AIM WILL USE MULTILEVEL MODELING TO EXAMINE WHETHER ORGANIZATIONAL FACTORS, INCLUDING PROMOTORA (COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKER) EMPOWERMENT AND LEADERSHIP SUPPORT, MODERATE THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN PLACE-BASED FACTORS AND PARTICIPANT ENGAGEMENT. THE SECOND AIM APPLIES COINCIDENCE ANALYSIS (CNA), A NOVEL CONFIGURATIONAL COMPARATIVE METHOD, TO IDENTIFY WHICH COMBINATIONS OF PLACE-BASED AND ORGANIZATIONAL FACTORS PREDICT PROGRAM FIDELITY. THIS PROJECT WILL GENERATE NEW INSIGHTS INTO THE COMPLEX CONDITIONS THAT SUPPORT SUCCESSFUL IMPLEMENTATION ACROSS REAL-LIFE COMMUNITY SETTINGS. THE LONG-TERM GOAL IS TO USE THESE FINDINGS TO INFORM A SCALABLE AND SUSTAINABLE IMPLEMENTATION MODEL THAT ENHANCES THE DISSEMINATION OF FAITH IN ACTION AND SIMILAR HEALTH PROMOTION PROGRAMS ACROSS VARIOUS GEOGRAPHICAL REGIONS. THE PROPOSED TRAINING PLAN IS ESSENTIAL FOR THE APPLICANT'S DEVELOPMENT AS AN INDEPENDENT IMPLEMENTATION SCIENCE RESEARCHER. IT INCLUDES THREE PRIMARY GOALS: (1) TO BUILD EXPERTISE IN DISSEMINATION AND IMPLEMENTATION SCIENCE FRAMEWORKS AND THEIR APPLICATION, (2) TO STRENGTHEN QUANTITATIVE SKILLS IN MULTILEVEL MODELING AND CNA, AND (3) TO DEVELOP ADVANCED SKILLS IN LEADING RESEARCH PUBLICATIONS. THE APPLICANT WILL ENGAGE IN ACTIVITIES SUCH AS FORMAL COURSEWORK, ATTEND INTENSIVE CNA TRAINING, AND RECEIVE ONGOING MENTORSHIP IN D & I RESEARCH. THIS PROJECT WILL CONTRIBUTE ACTIONABLE KNOWLEDGE TO THE FIELD AND SUPPORT THE APPLICANT'S LONG-TERM COMMITMENT TO IMPROVING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF EVIDENCE-BASED PROGRAMS TO REAL-WORLD COMMUNITY SETTINGS.