197391 Applied research practicum in primary prevention: Evaluating the impact on university students and their outreach efforts

Tuesday, November 10, 2009: 4:44 PM

Steve Sternlof, PhD , Programs for Preventive Health, Department of Pediatrics, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK
Caley Gregg, MEd , Programs for Preventive Health, Department of Pediatrics, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK
Brian Stalcup, MEd , Programs for Preventive Health, Department of Pediatrics, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK
Barbara Terral, MA , Programs for Preventive Health, Department of Pediatrics, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK
James Fisher, BA , Pediatrics, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK
Jeffrey Jones, BA , Pediatrics, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK
Lauren Johnson , Pediatrics, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK
Kateri Schaaf, MSW , Programs for Preventive Health, Department of Pediatrics, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK
Programs for Preventive Health, within the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, offers an applied research practicum to undergraduate and graduate students through our partnership with nine Oklahoma Universities. The course requires a two-semester commitment during which students attend our course weekly and facilitate prevention programs to elementary school children (violence prevention, sexual abuse prevention, ATOD prevention, or a healthy lifestyles program). Students receive 3 hours of upper-level psychology elective credit per semester.

The course curriculum includes an overview of the history, science, and theory of prevention as well as lessons on behavioral management, program design and evaluation and multicultural activities. The students also gain experience administering pre- and post-tests as well as entering data.

This year, we aimed to enhance our evaluation of our practicum course in addition to the evaluations we complete for our prevention programs. The evaluation gathered quantitative and qualitative data from university facilitators and school staff. We developed an outcome evaluation instrument for university facilitators utilizing a pre-test/post-test analysis focused on knowledge, attitudes, and skills efficacy. We also created an impact evaluation instrument to gather school staff opinions and observations. Our quantitative component helped us track whether our course and program objectives were being met, and the qualitative component allowed facilitators and school staff to report and elaborate on the degree of impact the programs are having on an individual and school community level.

Learning Objectives:
1. Identify methods to create university partnerships 2. Name ways in which university partnerships can enhance and increase outreach 3. Describe how public health prevention practica impact university students' attitudes and knowledge about prevention outreach 4. Describe how practica impact university students' efficacy in implementing public health prevention programs

Keywords: Collaboration, Community Outreach

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have a Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Oklahoma and have worked in prevention for over 10 years. I am currently an assistant professor at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center and also Director of Programs for Preventive Health and coordinate and supervise all aspects of the program. I am the prinicpal investigator on this and other research projects.
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.

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See more of: Academic Public Health Caucus