Table 1. Theoretical Models and Constructs Used for the Study of King County Board of Health Healthy Vending Guidelines.

Theory or Framework	Construct	Description
Policy development: “three streams” theory (11)	Problems stream	“Problems are brought to the attention of people in and around government by systematic indicators, by focusing events like crises and disasters, or by feedback from the operation of current programs” (p. 19).
		“How do conditions come to be defined as problems? Values, comparisons, and categories contribute to the translation” (p. 110).
	Policy stream	“The proposals that survive to the status of serious consideration meet several criteria, including their technical feasibility, their fit with dominant values and the current national mood, their budgetary workability, and the political support or opposition they might experience” (pp. 10–20).
	Political stream	“Flowing along independently of the problems and policy streams is the political stream, composed of such things as public mood, pressure group campaigns, election results, partisan or ideological districts in Congress, and changes of administration” (p. 145).
		The “mood-elections” combination . . . can force some subjects high on the agenda, and can also make it virtually impossible for government to pay serious attention to others. But once the item is on the agenda, the organized forces enter the picture, trying as best they can to bend the outcomes to their advantage ” (p.164).
	Policy window	“The separate streams of problems, policies, and politics come together at certain critical times. Solutions become joined to problems, and both of them are joined to favorable political forces” (p. 194).
Policy impact: adapted “RE-AIM” Framework (12)	Reach	“[T]he absolute number, percentage, and representativeness of those affected by the policy, or those whose health is to be improved as a result of the policy” (p. 108).
	Effectiveness	“[T]he change in proximal, or temporally appropriate, outcomes and any adverse impacts” (p. 108).
	Adoption	“[T]he absolute number, percentage, and representativeness of organizations, institutions, or governing bodies that pass or decide to implement a policy [and allocate] resources for enforcement, if applicable” (p. 108).
	Implementationa	“[A]pplying the policy as planned, adequately enforcing it, and ensuring ongoing and consistent compliance with the core components of the policy” (p. 109).
	Maintenancea	“[C]ompliance with the policy and resulting individual behavior changes and health outcomes that occur over time” and “continued enforcement of and compliance with the policy over time” (p. 109).

^a Implementation and Maintenance are not addressed in this study, given the focus on preliminary impact within the first year of Guidelines’ use.