title: Evaluation of STD/AIDS prevention programs: a review of approaches and methodologies.
abstract: The article presents a review of approaches and methodologies in the evaluation of STD/AIDS prevention programs, searching for theoretical and methodological support for the institutionalization of evaluation and decision-making. The review included the MEDLINE, SciELO, and ISI Web of Science databases and other sources like textbooks and congress abstracts from 1990 to 2005, with the key words: "evaluation", "programs", "prevention", "STD/AIDS", and similar terms. The papers showed a predominance of quantitative outcome or impact evaluative studies with an experimental or quasi-experimental design. The main use of evaluation is accountability, although knowledge output and program improvement were also identified in the studies. Only a few evaluative studies contemplate process evaluation and its relationship to the contexts. The review aimed to contribute to the debate on STD/AIDS, which requires more effective, consistent, and sustainable decisions in the field of prevention.
authors.affiliation: Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública Sergio Arouca, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil. marly@ensp.fiocruz.br
authors.forename: Marly Marques
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: da Cruz
authors.forename: Elizabeth Moreira
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: dos Santos
authors.forename: Simone
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Monteiro
mesh_terms: D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000517:prevention & control; D006801:Humans; D015397:Program Evaluation / Q000379:methods*; D012749:Sexually Transmitted Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control*