A systematic approach for evaluating health related programs: Adaptation for community-based participatory research and clinical application to reduce cancer health disparities

APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

3020.0: Monday, November 05, 2007 - 8:30 AM

Abstract #159136

Slides (pdf) or Handout

Emmanuel A. Taylor, MSc, DrPH¹, Kenneth C. Chu, PhD¹, Gabriella M. Newes-Adeyi, PhD, MPH², Paul A. Young, MBA, MPH³, and Amanda Greene, PHD, MPH, FNP, RN³. (1) Center to Reduce Cancer Health Disparities, National Cancer Institute (NCI), National Institutes of Health (NIH), 6116 Executive Blvd., Suite 602, Rockville, MD 20852, (301)594-6624, TaylorEm@mail.nih.gov, (2) CSR, Incorporated, 2107 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 1000, Arlington, VA 22201, (3) NOVA Research Company, 4600 East-West Highway, Suite 700, Bethesda, MD 20814-6900

The need for evaluation and accountability of public health programs has never been greater since the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) launched its Healthy People 2000 and then Healthy People 2010 national initiatives to eliminate racial and ethnic disparities in health care. Year 2000 came and went without much dent in the level of such disparities in the U.S., and without adequate mechanisms for collecting data necessary to measure the effectiveness of public health programs designed to accomplish the objectives. As we approach Year 2010, public health agencies and other organizations must be prepared to account for the millions of dollars already spent in this effort to eliminate racial and ethnic disparities in America. A systematic approach for evaluating health related programs will be presented. The cyclical nature of the approach and inherent steps for planning and implementing this approach will be discussed. In focusing on program evaluation, this approach uses logic models to directly link variables of interest and core data elements to specific research questions, program objectives and measures of program effectiveness. Adaptation of the methodology for evaluation of clinical and community-based participatory research programs will be illustrated by three research programs funded by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to reduce cancer health disparities in various communities throughout the country.

Learning Objectives:

By the end of the session, the audience will be able to

1)Identify the steps in using logic models to focus program evaluation and make program evaluation an integral part of program planning and implementation;
2)Describe a technique for directly linking variables of interest and data elements to specific research questions, program objectives and measures of program effectiveness; and
3)Articulate how to use this technique to ensure that data necessary to evaluate a health program are pre-planned and will be collected during program implementation.

Keywords: Cancer, Evaluation

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No
Any institutionally-contracted trials related to this submission?

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

Slides (pdf) or Handout

Systematic Approach for Evaluating Health Related Programs: Examples From NCI's Center to Reduce Cancer Health Disparities Program Evaluation Activities

The 135th APHA Annual Meeting & Exposition (November 3-7, 2007) of APHA