The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #69635

Rebecca Murphy, PhD¹, Linda A. Block, MPH², and Karen Gutierrez, BA². (1) Health Communications Branch, CDC Office On Smoking And Health, 4770 Buford Hwy NE, MS- K50, Atlanta, GA 30341, 770-488-5345, RMurphy1@cdc.gov, (2) Office on Smoking and Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 4770 Buford Hwy, NE, Mailstop K-50, Atlanta, GA 30341

This session is designed for tobacco control program staff who are responsible for evaluating a media campaign designed to reduce tobacco use or exposure to secondhand smoke. It will also be of interest to others who use media to address other public health topics. Media evaluation can provide important guidance and feedback to program managers and planners (e.g., the advertising agency) to refine and improve campaign messages and convey key findings to stakeholders including the public and legislators. This presentation will describe the three key concepts of “formative research and evaluation,” “process evaluation,” and “outcome evaluation.” Formative research enables program managers to prioritize and learn about target audiences, such as what their needs are, what motivates them, and what obstacles exist to changing their attitudes and behaviors. Formative evaluation allows program managers to determine the reactions of target audiences to messages and materials as they are being developed. Process evaluation gives program managers clear measures of whether the campaign is being executed as planned, throughout the implementation process. And outcome evaluation helps program managers improve the campaign over time and allows them to be accountable to funders and other key stakeholders (including program planners, politicians, and the general public) about the campaign’s results, which can help maintain support and funding for future program efforts. Careful monitoring of beliefs and attitudes can identify messages that hold the most promise for subsequent behavior change and/or maintenance, and prevent “wear-out” of messages that address beliefs that are already widely-held among a population.

Learning Objectives:

At the end of the session, participants will be able to:
• describe the three types of evaluation
• identify the difference between evaluation and surveillance
• list the steps for conducting an evaluation

Keywords: Media, Evaluation

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Office on Smoking and Health
I have a significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.
Relationship: employment