title: A model for evaluating the activities of a coalition-based policy action group: the case of Hermosa Vida.
abstract: Scholars and clinicians are increasingly recognizing the complexity of social contexts of health and the need for multifunctioning approaches to health care problems including community- and policy-level strategies. Barriers to change in health care policy can sometimes be attributed to the actions of advocacy coalitions who operate from a limited view of "policy change." Advocates have a tendency to pressure stakeholders to mandate laws as a final resolution of a movement, often leading to failure or, worse, stigmatizing of issues. A more inclusive focus on health policy change as an ongoing process increases the efficacy of advocacy and outcomes measurement. This article presents a tool for policy action that coalition members developed through the implementation of a 3-year grant to improve the safety net for preventing childhood obesity. Scholars and policy makers developed the Policy Coalition Evaluation Tool with the intent to create a model to guide and measure efforts and outcomes of a local community-based policy coalition. The authors suggest using community-based participatory research approaches for developing a coalition-specific Policy Coalition Evaluation Tool to increase the effectiveness of advocacy groups and the documentation of coalition activities over time.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anthropology, Interdisciplinary Health Policy Institute, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ 86011, USA. lisa.hardy@nau.edu
authors.forename: Lisa Jane
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Hardy
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Wertheim
authors.forename: Kyle
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Bohan
authors.forename: Julio Cesar
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Quezada
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Henley
mesh_terms: D001130:Arizona; D003151:Community Health Centers / Q000458:organization & administration*; D055812:Community-Based Participatory Research / Q000458:organization & administration*; D004777:Environment; D006266:Health Education / Q000458:organization & administration; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006291:Health Policy; D006801:Humans; D009042:Motivation; D063766:Pediatric Obesity / Q000517:prevention & control*; D016730:Program Development; D064876:Safety-net Providers / Q000458:organization & administration*; D064890:Social Determinants of Health / Q000208:ethnology; D012944:Social Support
keywords: community-based participatory research; evaluation design; evaluation methods; health promotion; health research; partnerships/coalitions; program planning and evaluation; public health laws/policies; social policy