Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #111899

M. Christine Nagy, PhD, Department of Public Health, Western Kentucky University, STH 307B, 1 Big Red Way, Bowling Green, KY 42101, 270-745-5854, chris.nagy@wku.edu, Mark B. Dignan, PhD, MPH, Prevention Research Center, University of Kentucky, 2365 Harrodsburg Rd., Suite B100, Lexington, KY 40504, Rhoda Johnson, PhD, Department of Women's Studies, University of Alabama, P.O. Box 870272, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487, Mona N. Fouad, MD, MPH, Department of Medicine, Division of Preventive Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 1717 11th Ave South, Medical Towers Building #736, Birmingham, AL 35294, and Theresa Ann Wynn, PhD, UAB School of Medicine -Division of Preventive Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 1701 11th Avenue South, Room 118, Birmingham, AL 35205.

Process evaluation is important for projects designed to develop community programs. This presentation reports on findings of the process evaluation related to the development of the community action plan of the Alabama Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health (REACH 2010). This CDC-funded project was designed to eliminate disparities in breast and cervical cancer screening in nine counties in Alabama. The primary goal was to actively engage the coalition in every aspect of the design, implementation and evaluation of the community action plan. Three objectives were formulated: 1) develop an effective coalition that included members from the community, academic partners, and state agencies, 2) conduct a community needs assessment, and 3) develop a community action plan with an ultimate goal of eliminating health disparities relative to breast and cervical cancer between African American and white women. Process evaluation activities assessed coalition building, community capacity building, conducting a formative evaluation and developing a community action plan. Records of attendance at meetings, minutes of meetings, memoranda, workshop agendas, attendance rosters, transcriptions of focus group discussions, and flyers were used to monitor program implementation. A process evaluation template developed during the conceptualization of the project that identified program implementation activities, associated evaluation questions and sources of evidence was used to guide the assessment of coalition building, community capacity building, the needs assessment, and development of the community action plan. The presentation will report evaluation findings relative to the fidelity between program development and implementation activities and strengths and weaknesses of the planning period.

Learning Objectives: