A public health program is costly in time, expenditures, and effort. The stakes are high, and the aims are noble, often no less than improving the wellbeing of an entire community or group. The only way to determine whether the program has been worth these costs is to conduct thorough evaluations. In public health, as in most fields, researchers and experts have differing terms for similar concepts, and there is a lack of consistent labels that are used throughout a given discipline. For example, public health textbooks differ in how they categorize subtopics under the umbrella term of evaluation. This week's course texts describe two differing ways to conceptualize the four types of evaluation on which you will focus this week: formative, process, impact, and outcome. Although they agree on formative and process evaluation, they give opposite explanations for impact and outcome evaluations. For the purposes of this week's work, please use the Fertman text's definitions.
For this week's Discussion, review the media titled Evaluating Health Programs. Consider how Water Missions Belize co-founder Jennifer Harsta conducts program evaluation in a water sanitation program. Also, reflect on how she and her employees might improve her program based on the evaluation and how she might improve her evaluation methods. Then, using credible online sources, locate two examples of public health programs that have been thoroughly evaluated. One way to find examples of evaluations is to search for public health topics of interest to you. For example, the phrase "tobacco program outcomes" yields a good sample evaluation at http://www.cdc.gov/prc/prevention-strategies/smoking-cessation-program.htm (Note: Please do not use this example for your post.)
INSTRUCTIONS
Assignment: Divide the text by using these headings (you must use these headings):
1. Public health program #1
1.1. Program description
1.2. Evaluation type
Hint: Formative, process, impact, and outcome evaluation?
1.3. Data collection and analysis methods
1.4. Evaluation results
1.5. One way you might use the evaluation results to improve the program
2. Public health program #2
2.1. Program description
2.2. Evaluation type
Hint: Formative, process, impact, and outcome evaluation?
2.3. Data collection and analysis methods
2.4. Evaluation results
2.5. One way you might use the evaluation results to improve the program
3. Which program evaluation was more effective and why?
Hint: Which program evaluation (NOT A PROGRAM) was more effective? For example, which program evaluation used more effective methods?