|
Understanding of the Community Change Process: Using the Community Capitals Framework to Evaluate the Impact of 22 Community Wellness Grants
|
| Presenter(s):
|
| Mary Emery, South Dakota State University, memery@iastate.edu
|
| Jane Schadle, Iowa Dept of Public Health, jschadle@idph.state.ia.us
|
| Kala Shipley, Iowa Dept of Public Health, shipley@idph.state.ia.us
|
| Cathy Lillehoj, Iowa Department of Public Health, clilleho@idph.state.ia.us
|
| Abstract:
Recent research focuses on the important role of the community eco-system in determining an individual's overall health. Yet, we know little about what approaches are likely to lead to changes in people's participation within their communities with respect to healthy behaviors. The Iowa Department of Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention funded 24 community wellness projects to develop new learning about community wellness change processes. Grantees were required to use the community capitals framework (CCF) in reporting results. Using the CCF helped develop a better understanding of the importance of community capacity in strengthening wellness-related work. The results indicate those grants that leveraged multiple assets to foster healthier communities and thus increased assets in the intangible capitals (human, social, cultural, and political) were more likely to have a long-term impact on the community than those efforts that focused on a single capital (human or built for example).
|
|
Using Evaluation Readiness in Health Promotion Programs to Determine True Value
|
| Presenter(s):
|
| Janet Clinton, University of Melbourne, janetclinton@xtra.co.nz
|
| Tinoci O'Connor, University of Auckland, t.oconnor@auckland.ac.nz
|
| Amanda Dunlop, University of Auckland, aj.dunlop@auckland.ac.nz
|
| Faith Mahony, University of Auckland, f.mahony@auckland.ac.nz
|
| Abstract:
Communities are often at different levels of readiness for implementing and evaluating programs; and evaluation is seen as a very low priority. Ultimately these levels of readiness and prioritizing or valuing evaluation will determine the overall success of a program. Understanding and accounting for these different levels of readiness has always been a challenge for evaluators. This paper describes a model that was derived from working in Pacific Island communities to ensure that these levels of readiness are taken into account when deriving an evaluative judgement. A number of health promotion programs with the goal of enhancing health status are used as case examples. Evaluation evidence from the sites is analysed to illustrate the impact of different the levels of readiness on the success of a program. A major argument is that working with the communities at their differing levels of readiness will increase the value of evaluation.
|
| |