54. Can you use proxy measures for behavior change for outcome evaluation such as attitudes, beliefs, norms, or behavioral intentions or do you need to measure actual behavior change?

    Since the ultimate objective of HIV prevention is to change risky behaviors, measures of behavior change are preferred for outcome evaluation. However, measures of change in knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, norms, or intentions are acceptable.

NOTE: More information on outcome evaluation will be provided.

Use of Evaluation Data

55. How will data be used and how will CDC guard against misuse?

    The Evaluation Guidance states that data provided by health departments will be used for three purposes:

    To report to federal, state, and local stakeholders (including communities, health departments, local and national organizations, and federal policymakers) progress made through HIV prevention programs supported by CDC funds;

    To improve national policies regarding HIV prevention;

    To identify ways to improve HIV prevention programs nationwide.

    CDC is interested in aggregated, national-level data. It is not CDC’s intent to use local data in a punitive way. Data are collected and analyzed for the purpose of program improvement. State-level data will be shared with project officers. State-level data will not be shared with persons outside of CDC without consultation and discussion with state health department officials.

56. Interventions may vary within a jurisdiction; for example, prevention case management may be carried out with varying levels of intensity throughout a state. Will data on interventions at the jurisdiction-level be pooled together in a national data set?

    Yes, data on interventions will be pooled together, with the acknowledgment of differences in how interventions are delivered. Health departments may provide narrative to explain variations in interventions.

57. Will CDC change its funding formula to reflect the effectiveness of interventions. In other words, will jurisdictions get more money if their interventions are effective?

    CDC does not foresee linking funding to empirically demonstrated effectiveness.

58. Will CDC penalize jurisdictions who report reaching fewer people if that is the result of efforts to more specifically target their interventions to certain risk behaviors?

    No. This would be seen as improving interventions, and large numbers are not necessarily a measure of success.