141st APHA Annual Meeting

In This section

282547
Assessing implementation fidelity for a longitudinal intervention: Strengths and challenges of a responsive evaluation framework

Tuesday, November 5, 2013 : 10:30 AM - 10:42 AM

Alyssa M. Lederer, MPH, CHES , Department of Applied Health Science, Indiana University School of Public Health-Bloomington, Bloomington, IN
Mindy Hightower King, PhD , Center on Education and Lifelong Learning, Indiana Institute on Disability and Community, Indiana University Bloomington, Bloomington, IN
Danielle Sovinski, MPH , Indiana Institute on Disability and Community, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN
Heidi Knoblock , Department of Applied Health Science, Indiana University School of Public Health-Bloomington, Bloomington, IN
Rhonda Meade, MS , Welborn Baptist Foundation, Inc., Evansville, IN
Dong-Chul Seo, PhD , Department of Applied Health Science, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN
Nayoung Kim, MA , Department of Applied Health Science, Indiana University School of Public Health-Bloomington, Bloomington, IN
Background: School-based interventions play a crucial role in ameliorating childhood obesity. Grounded in the coordinated school health model (CSHM), the HEROES (Healthy, Energetic, Ready, Outstanding, Enthusiastic Schools) Initiative aims to promote wellness in schools in order to mitigate rising rates of childhood obesity in Indiana, Illinois, and Kentucky. Purpose: Given the multi-year design of the HEROES Initiative, the program has evolved over time to allow for continual enhancement. This presentation will discuss the strengths and challenges of evaluating implementation fidelity in a responsive manner for a longitudinal intervention. Significance: HEROES serves as a model CSHM program. This presentation provides essential information for individuals interested in developing a rigorous process evaluation framework and presents issues that must be considered to ensure program growth. Methodology: A comprehensive school site visit protocol was first conducted in Spring 2010 to examine each facet of the implementation process. Site visits are repeated for all participating schools each spring. Quantitative scores are awarded based on several interviews and observational indices at each site. Findings/Results: Important evaluative analyses have been successfully conducted, including annual individual and aggregated domain and overall implementation scores, which have also been compared by various school characteristics. However, year-by-year comparisons across schools and by implementation year have proven challenging. Conclusions/Recommendations: Responsive evaluation is a necessary component of any intervention that stakeholders wish to improve over time. Yet it can also limit specific evaluative analyses. Lessons learned and strategies used to attempt to overcome these challenges will be provided.

Learning Areas:
Conduct evaluation related to programs, research, and other areas of practice
Implementation of health education strategies, interventions and programs
Public health or related research

Learning Objectives:
Describe the process evaluation framework for the HEROES Initiative. Explain the need for responsive evaluation for longitudinal public health interventions. Discuss the strengths and challenges of evaluating implementation fidelity for public health interventions that are responsive in nature.

Keywords: School-Based Programs, Evaluation

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am a third year doctoral student in Health Behavior at the Indiana University School of Public Health-Bloomington and I am the Graduate Research Assistant for the HEROES Initiative. I conducted several of the site visits and performed the implementation fidelity analyses.
Any relevant financial relationships? Yes

Name of Organization Clinical/Research Area Type of relationship
Welborn Baptist Foundation Evaluation Independent Contractor (contracted research and clinical trials)

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.