Evaluation Guide Helps Communities Assess Programs on Health Disparities

University of South Carolina: Prevention Research Center

Topics:
Community Health

A 25-member panel with expertise in evaluating community-based programs and who represented African American, Asian, Pacific Islander, American Indian, and Hispanic population groups, collaborated to develop a guide that enables communities to evaluate the effectiveness of research programs aimed at reducing or eliminating racial and ethnic health disparities. The guide provides information about: 1) evaluation principles, standards, and methods; 2) steps for collecting, analyzing, and interpreting data; and 3) resources for technical assistance. It also describes how to seek out and use community members’ knowledge, insight, and expertise as well as tailor evaluations to a community’s culture, needs, values, and interests. CDC’s Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health Program (REACH), the American Evaluation Association, and other community partners across the nation reviewed the guide and the University of South Carolina’s researchers tested it on an HIV prevention program. The CENTERED Evaluation Guide and a companion supplement, Pathways to Evaluation of Community-Based Programs, were produced and made available in September 2003.

 

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