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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Lisa S. Kretz, PhD¹, Susan W. Hayashi, PhD¹, Wendy Parker, MPA¹, N. Andrew Mariotti, MA¹, Judy Shih, PhD¹, Manu Singh, PhD¹, Qing Xie, PhD¹, Erika Olson, MA¹, Daudi Gardner¹, Timothy P. Condon, PhD², Lucinda L. Miner, PhD³, and Denise Pintello, PhD³. (1) JBS International, Inc., 8630 Fenton Street, 12th Floor, Silver Spring, MD 20910, 301-495-1080, lkretz@jbs1.com, (2) Office of the Director, National Institute on Drug Abuse, 6001 Executive Boulevard, Bethesda, MD 20892, (3) Office of Science Policy and Communications, National Institute on Drug Abuse, 6001 Executive Boulevard, Bethesda, MD 20892

This presentation will describe a systematic approach to conducting a theory-driven evaluation of a communications campaign involving broad distribution of multiple publications (web and print) targeting multiple audiences with different information needs. The National Institute on Drug Abuse's public health information publications are designed to promote the use of science-based evidence to improve drug abuse prevention, treatment, and policy. This evaluation examined the effectiveness of nine key publications and three websites in terms of their reach and impact on seven distinct target audiences. Evaluating a campaign of this complexity required an evaluation design that (a) assessed relevant communications outcomes of interest, and (b) encompassed methods adapted to maximize participation across diverse, difficult-to-access target audiences to best capture the campaign's impact. Roger's (1995) diffusion of innovations theory guided identification of key outcomes of interest, including target audiences' knowledge/awareness of the publications, attitudes towards the publications (e.g., perceived utility), use of the publications, and the impact of the publications on drug abuse prevention, treatment, and policy. To maximize participation across seven diverse audiences, including traditionally underrepresented groups, data collection instruments and methods were designed to be sensitive to the interests and concerns of different audiences while incorporating sufficient uniformity to permit cross-audience comparisons of campaign effectiveness and information needs. Examples of adaptation of methods include modifying focus group and survey methodology for Native American audiences, and offering multiple response modes to maximize participation of providers. Response rates across methods and audiences, and implications for evaluating communications campaigns will be presented.

Learning Objectives:

• Describe how to apply diffusion theory to define and assess relevant outcomes for a communications campaign.
• Discuss how to integrate multiple data collection methods to evaluate a complex communications campaign.
• List strategies for adapting methods to increase participation among particular populations (e.g., Native Americans, health policymakers, treatment providers).

Keywords: Health Communications, Evaluation

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No