Coalition models: lessons learned from the CDC's Community Coalition Partnership Programs for the Prevention of Teen Pregnancy.
OBJECTIVE
To describe the models created by the 13 communities in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Community Coalition Partnership Program (CCPP), and the relationship between key organizational features of the coalitions and the perception by coalition members of interim and community-wide outcomes.


METHODS
This study relied on three sources of data: interviews conducted on site with a sample of coalition staff, evaluators, and members (n = 364); a written survey administered after the site visit to those interviewed (n = 216) asking about perceived outcomes and changes between the beginning and end of the project; and a coalition member survey mailed to all coalition members at all sites (n = 341) focusing on perceptions of coalition functioning, outcomes, and satisfaction.


RESULTS
A variety of coalition models were developed. Respondents were positive in their assessments of how their coalitions operated even though few were sustained. The coalitions for which members perceived more positive outcomes were better established at the outset of the grant, led by paid staff, and had an area-wide focus, a steering committee, and a hub that was not a community-based organization. Coalitions composed primarily of neighborhood members were difficult to maintain.


CONCLUSIONS
Despite members' high ratings, by the end of the funding period most coalitions were no longer functioning. It may be that coalitions are useful but not as permanent structures in communities. Grassroots and individual members not affiliated with an agency may require meaningful incentives to sustain participation. Because maturity of the coalition at the start of the project was a good predictor of sustainability, time should be spent verifying the stage of coalition development before funding.
Kramer
Jane S
JS
Center for Reproductive Health Research and Policy, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California 94143-0936, USA.
Philliber
Susan
S
Brindis
Claire D
CD
Kamin
Stephanie L
SL
Chadwick
Amy E
AE
Revels
Michelle L
ML
Chervin
Doryn D
DD
Driscoll
Anne
A
Bartelli
Debra
D
Wike
Richard S
RS
Peterson
Sara A
SA
Schmidt
Cathleen K
CK
Valderrama
L Teresa
LT
D000293:Adolescent; D002487:Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S.; D018672:Community Health Planning / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000592:standards; D003625:Data Collection; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D007857:Leadership; D017146:Models, Organizational; D011247:Pregnancy; D011253:Pregnancy in Adolescence / Q000517:prevention & control*; D013997:Time Factors; D014481:United States