 | The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
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| The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
Gary D. Gilmore, MPH, PhD, CHES, Professor and Director of the Graduate Community Health Programs, University of Wisconsin at La Crosse, 201 Mitchell Hall, La Crosse, WI 54601, 608 785-8163, gilmore.gary@uwlax.edu, Larry K. Olsen, DrPH, CHES, Associate Dean, Academics and Research, New Mexico State University, College of Health and Social Sciences, P. O. Box 30001, Las Cruces, NM 88003-8001, Alyson Zoe Taub, EdD, CHES, New York University, 211 East Shore Road, Great Neck, NY 11023-2422, and David B. Connell, PhD, Cambridge Research Associates, 7 Jefferson Drive, Acton, MA 01720.
The five-year (1998-2003) National Health Educator Competencies Update Project (CUP)is addressing the degree to which the existing role definition of the entry-level health educator is still up-to-date, along with the development and validation of the advanced-level competencies. This research has important implications for workforce development, and will impact professional preparation, certification, and professional development. The research used a mailed 19-page questionnaire sent to health educators in six practice settings during the 2000-2001 pilot phase (76% adjusted response rate), as well as during the 2001-2003 major research phase (70% response rate), in order to gain perspectives directly from practitioners. A 10% non-respondent follow-up study also was conducted. Responses from over 4,000 practicing health educators from every state and the District of Columbia resulted in the largest national dataset of its kind, with 1.6 million data-points. More than 95% of the respondents answered all items, with the responses double-entered and checked for accuracy. Data analyses included (1) preliminary review of the data using the FACETS software to assess response bias and data robustness; (2) quantitative analyses including item analyses for each of the 10 Areas of Responsibility, Cronbach's alpha values and item-related correlations for the entire sample, along with univariate and multivariate comparisons for selected variables; and (3) qualitative analyses. Key findings from the data, coupled with conclusions and recommendations, will be presented, along with implications for the profession.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Competency, Certification
Related Web page: www.nchec.org/aboutnechec/cup/htm
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.