title: Assessing the evaluability of complex public health interventions: five questions for researchers, funders, and policymakers.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Evidence to support government programs to improve public health often is weak. Recognition of this "knowledge gap" has led to calls for more and better evaluation, but decisions about priorities for evaluation also need to be addressed in regard to financial restraint.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using England's Healthy Community Challenge Fund as a case study, this article presents a set of questions to stimulate and structure debate among researchers, funders, and policymakers and help make decisions about evaluation within and between complex public health interventions as they evolve from initial concept to dissemination of full-scale intervention packages.
  
  
  RESULTS
  This approach can be used to identify the types of knowledge that might be generated from any evaluation, given the strength of evidence available in response to each of five questions, and to support a more systematic consideration of resource allocation decisions, depending on the types of knowledge required.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The principles of this approach may be generalizable, and should be tested and refined for other complex public health and wider social interventions.
authors.affiliation: MRC Epidemiology Unit and UKCRC Centre for Diet and Activity Research, Box 296, Institute of Public Health, Forvie Site, Robinson Way, Cambridge, CB2 0SR, UK. david.ogilvie@mrc-epid.cam.ac.uk
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ogilvie
authors.forename: Steven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cummins
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Petticrew
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: White
authors.forename: Andy
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: Kathryn
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wheeler
mesh_terms: D019058:Community Networks; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration; D005194:Family Practice / Q000458:organization & administration; D006266:Health Education / Q000458:organization & administration; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D016730:Program Development; D015397:Program Evaluation; D011634:Public Health; D015980:Public Health Practice; D013222:State Medicine / Q000458:organization & administration; D006113:United Kingdom