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

Abstract #72946

Melissa K. Thomas, MSA, BS, BA¹, Sharon Carver, MSN, BSN, RN², Gerald O. Martin, MA³, Debbie Bihl, MSN, RN, AOCN³, and Delrita Gilliland³. (1) Community Outreach, OhioHealth, 3726A Olentangy River Road, Columbus, OH 43214, (614)566-5206, thomam3@ohiohealth.com, (2) Community Outreach, Southern Ohio Medical Center, Mercy Medical Plaza, Building C, 1248 Kinneys Lane, Portsmouth, OH 45662, (3) Fight Cancer..Save Lives- ACT Now Coalition, Inc., PO Box 543, Portsmouth, OH 45662

Incidence rates of melanoma in Scioto County are the third highest in the state according to 1999 records (Ohio Department of Health). In order to address the skin cancer burden in their community, the community health workers (CHWs) of the Fight Cancer…Save Lives-ACT Now Coalition, Inc. (FCSL) initiated a county-wide free skin cancer screening over five years ago. Lives were saved through a collaborative effort between local hospitals, physicians, nurses, and community members, but coalition members were eager to learn if their screening efforts were doing anything to change skin cancer prevention behavior in their county.

While the CHWs of the FCSL coalition have enjoyed the support of technical assistance over the past decade from a nationally-funded research grant, only two years of funding remain. In order to sustain the coalition’s existence, the CHWs incorporated a research-based evaluation approach to not only address the community’s health concerns but also to measure progress to the community and to potential grantors. Citing specific examples from the coalition’s skin cancer project, the essential steps to an effective program evaluation will be discussed. Additionally, results from a semi-random sample of 250 participants of Scioto County on knowledge, attitudes, beliefs and behaviors of skin cancer will be compared to the individuals who actively participated in the coalition’s skin cancer screening programs.

Learning Objectives:

Participants will be able to (
• understand the role research and evaluation play in addressing community health issues; (
• identify the key steps in evaluating a CHW program from the planning phase to its conclusion; (
• list key partnership ideas and strategies CHWs must consider when entering such partnerships; and (
• describe the process of utilizing evaluation results for community, agency, and grant support.

Keywords: Community Health Promoters, Evaluation

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I have a significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.
Relationship: grants, Appalachia Cancer Networ, National Cancer Institute