176075 Methods of evaluation of policy change achieved by community coalitions

Tuesday, October 28, 2008: 5:00 PM

Shelley C. Stoll, MPH , Center for Managing Chronic Disease, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
Noreen M. Clark, PhD , Center for Managing Chronic Disease, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
Laurie Lachance, PhD , Center for Managing Chronic Disease, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
Amy Friedman Milanovich, MPH , Center for Managing Chronic Disease, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
Margaret Wilkin, MPH , Center for Managing Chronic Disease, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
Daniel F. Awad, MA , Center for Managing Chronic Disease, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
Complex health conditions have given rise to programs targeting a multitude of community systems and settings. Coalitions that can bring together community representatives and other stakeholders who represent those systems and settings have become more prevalent in public health practice. Such coalitions are believed to be effective vehicles for achieving policy and system change, but the majority of evaluations of coalition efforts have focused on evaluation of processes, not outcomes.

Allies Against Asthma(Allies), a project of The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, supported the efforts of seven coalitions to implement multi sector strategies aimed at policy and system change to improve asthma control in their communities. Allies included a comprehensive outcome evaluation. Changes were captured through an online tracking system for coalition activities and accomplishments, periodic field reports, and key informant interviews. Changes were weighted to account for the potential impact, reach, and continuance of each change, as well as, the degree to which each could be attributed to the work of the coalition. Coalitions received scores equal to the sum of the weighted items for each achievement. Scores were also created for subsets of endeavor that describe the type of improvement achieved, e.g., clinical care, environmental conditions, management by the family.

During this session, challenges confronted in assessing the policy and system changes associated with a comprehensive initiative, the strategies and methods developed to assess change, and the utility of this methodology for future evaluation efforts will be discussed.

Learning Objectives:
1. Describe strategies for assessing policy and systems changes achieved through collaborative community efforts 2. List four factors that influence outcome measurements when evaluating policy and systems change 3. Discuss the applicability of the described outcome measurement methodology for future evaluation efforts

Keywords: Outcome Measures, Community Collaboration

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have played a key role in the evaluation involving the identification and analysis of findings related to policy and system changes.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

See more of: Evaluating Community Partnerships
See more of: Community Health Planning and Policy Development