title: Measuring Success: Evaluation Designs and Approaches to Assessing the Impact of School-Based Health Centers.
abstract: Since the founding of the first school-based health centers (SBHCs) >45 years ago, researchers have attempted to measure their impact on child and adolescent physical and mental health and academic outcomes. A review of the literature finds that SBHC evaluation studies have been diverse, encompassing different outcomes and varying target populations, study periods, methodological designs, and scales. A complex picture emerges of the impact of SBHCs on health outcomes, which may be a function of the specific health outcomes examined, the health needs of specific communities and schools, the characteristics of the individuals assessed, and/or the specific constellation of SBHC services. SBHC evaluations face numerous challenges that affect the interpretation of evaluation findings, including maturation, self-selection, low statistical power, and displacement effects. Using novel approaches such as implementing a multipronged approach to maximize participation, entering-class proxy-baseline design, propensity score methods, data set linkage, and multisite collaboration may mitigate documented challenges in SBHC evaluation.
authors.affiliation: Prevention Research Center, Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation, Oakland, California. Electronic address: mbersamin@prev.org.
authors.forename: Melina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bersamin
authors.affiliation: Heilbrunn Department of Population & Family Health, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, New York.
authors.forename: Samantha
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Garbers
authors.affiliation: Heilbrunn Department of Population & Family Health, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, New York; Department of Pediatrics, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York; School Based Health Centers, New York-Presbyterian Hospital, New York, New York.
authors.forename: Melanie A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Gold
authors.affiliation: Heilbrunn Department of Population & Family Health, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, New York.
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Heitel
authors.affiliation: Heilbrunn Department of Population & Family Health, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, New York.
authors.forename: Kathryn
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.affiliation: Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation, Calverton, Maryland.
authors.forename: Deborah A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Fisher
authors.affiliation: Heilbrunn Department of Population & Family Health, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, New York.
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Santelli
mesh_terms: D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D006293:Health Promotion; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D008605:Mental Health Services; D012572:School Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000600:supply & distribution; D013334:Students
keywords: Program evaluation; School health services; School-based health centers