title: Evaluation of Diverse Community Asthma Interventions: Balancing Health Outcomes with Developing Community Capacity for Evidence-Based Program Measurement.
abstract: The challenge of evaluating community asthma management programs is complicated by balancing the emphasis on health outcomes with the need to build community process capacity for conducting and monitoring evidence-based programs. The evaluation of a Georgia Childhood Asthma Management Program, a Healthcare Georgia Foundation-supported initiative for multiple diverse programs and settings, provides an example of an approach and the results that address this challenge. A "developmental evaluation" approach was applied, using mixed methods of quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis, to assess the progress of community asthma prevention programs in building community within the context of: where the community is starting, community-level systems changes, and the community's progress toward becoming more outcome measurement oriented and evidence based. Initial evaluation efforts revealed extensive mobilization of community assets to manage childhood asthma. However, there were minimal planned efforts to assess health outcomes and systems changes, and the lack of a logic model-based program design linking evidence-based practices to outcomes. Following developmental technical assistance within evaluation efforts, all programs developed logic models, linking practices to outcomes with data collection processes to assess progress toward achieving the selected outcomes. This developmental approach across diverse projects and communities, along with a quality improvement benchmarking approach to outcomes, created a focus on health status outcome improvement. Specifically, this approach complemented an emphasis on an improved community process capacity to identify, implement, and monitor evidence-based asthma practices that could be used within each community setting.
authors: 1 University of Florida College of Medicine-Jacksonville , Center for Health Equity & Quality Research, Jacksonville Florida.
authors: Lynn D
authors: LD
authors: Woodhouse
authors: 1 University of Florida College of Medicine-Jacksonville , Center for Health Equity & Quality Research, Jacksonville Florida.
authors: William C
authors: WC
authors: Livingood
authors: 2 Georgia Southern University , Jiann Ping Hsu College of Public Health, Statesboro, Georgia .
authors: Russ
authors: R
authors: Toal
authors: 3 Kuhn Consulting , Brooklet, Georgia .
authors: DeAnna
authors: D
authors: Keene
authors: 4 The University of Kansas School of Medicine-Wichita Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health , Wichita, Kansas.
authors: Robert B
authors: RB
authors: Hines
authors: 2 Georgia Southern University , Jiann Ping Hsu College of Public Health, Statesboro, Georgia .
authors: Stuart
authors: S
authors: Tedders
authors: 2 Georgia Southern University , Jiann Ping Hsu College of Public Health, Statesboro, Georgia .
authors: Simone M
authors: SM
authors: Charles
authors: 2 Georgia Southern University , Jiann Ping Hsu College of Public Health, Statesboro, Georgia .
authors: Raymona H
authors: RH
authors: Lawrence
authors: 5 Stetson University , Department of Integrative Health Science, DeLand, Florida.
authors: Laura H
authors: LH
authors: Gunn
authors: 2 Georgia Southern University , Jiann Ping Hsu College of Public Health, Statesboro, Georgia .
authors: Natalie
authors: N
authors: Williams
authors: 6 Healthcare Georgia Foundation , Atlanta, Georgia .
authors: Andrea
authors: A
authors: Kellum
mesh_terms: D001249:Asthma / Q000517:prevention & control*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003153:Community Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D019468:Disease Management; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital; D055317:Evidence-Based Practice / Q000458:organization & administration*; D005260:Female; D005845:Georgia; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D015397:Program Evaluation