Session: Process Evaluation for Public Health Interventions: Practical Strategies for Practitioners, Researchers and Academics

The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA

2010.0: Sunday, November 10, 2002: 8:00 AM-11:30 AM

Oral

Process Evaluation for Public Health Interventions: Practical Strategies for Practitioners, Researchers and Academics

Statement of Purpose and Institute Overview:

Public health interventions are increasingly complex - with multi-level interventions and multiple risk factors or risk conditions commonplace. A number of community-based interventions have achieved modest or non-significant results as it pertains to intended primary outcomes. Practitioners and researchers are often left to try and understand what components of an intervention worked (or did not), for which subgroups it worked (or did not), and whether the intervention was delivered as intended. Process evaluation can help answer these questions, and many others of interest to practitioners, academics, and researchers. This institute will review the current state-of-the-art of process evaluation, will include several exemplary case-studies, and will provide the participants with useful process evaluation methods and tools. This institute will give participants an opportunity to review key principles guiding the systematic development of a process evaluation effort, and to learn from a panel of individuals who have created and implemented comprehensive process evaluation components for projects/ research studies in a variety of different settings. In addition, participants will review a case study and use the principles shared in the workshop to develop a process evaluation effort for the case example. A variety of teaching methods will be used: lecture/discussion, small group activity, panel presentations, and case examples. Real-world examples, based on theory, guiding principles, and clear definitions of selected process evaluation terms (e.g. fidelity, dose, implementation, etc.), as well as sample forms, data management tools, and technological advances that will enhance process evaluation efforts will be shared. Faculty will engage the participants in an exchange of information and strategies for success.

Learning Objectives: Upon completion of the institute, participants will be able to: 1. Define process evaluation and distinguish it from other types of evaluation. 2. State three typical purposes of process evaluation 3. Identify four challenges to planning and implementing process evaluation efforts. 4. Describe at least one example of a model process evaluation effort, including: *goals and objectives of the process evaluation plan *underlying theories that inform the process evaluation plan *instruments/measurement tools *staff training and quality control procedures *data management considerations *data analytic strategies *successful report generation and feedback 5. Apply the principles learned re: an effective process evaluation effort to a specific case example shared in the workshop

See individual abstracts for presenting author's disclosure statement and author's information.

Organizer(s):

Allan Steckler, DrPH

8:00 AM

Introduction (Linnan and Steckler)

8:10 AM

Pre-course assessment

8:20 AM

Overview/Background on Process Evaluation
Allan Steckler, DrPH

9:20 AM

Break

9:30 AM