title: Research design issues for evaluating complex multicomponent interventions in neighborhoods and communities.
abstract: Major advances in population health will not occur unless we translate existing knowledge into effective multicomponent interventions, implement and maintain these in communities, and develop rigorous translational research and evaluation methods to ensure continual improvement and sustainability. We discuss challenges and offer approaches to evaluation that are key for translational research stages 3 to 5 to advance optimized adoption, implementation, and maintenance of effective and replicable multicomponent strategies. The major challenges we discuss concern (a) multiple contexts of evaluation/research, (b) complexity of packages of interventions, and (c) phases of evaluation/research questions. We suggest multiple alternative research designs that maintain rigor but accommodate these challenges and highlight the need for measurement systems. Longitudinal data collection and a standardized continuous measurement system are fundamental to the evaluation and refinement of complex multicomponent interventions. To be useful to T3-T5 translational research efforts in neighborhoods and communities, such a system would include assessments of the reach, implementation, effects on immediate outcomes, and effects of the comprehensive intervention package on more distal health outcomes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Behavioral Sciences and Health Education, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA. kkomro@emory.edu.
authors.forename: Kelli A
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7893-9558
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Komro
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA.
authors.forename: Brian R
authors.initials: BR
authors.lastname: Flay
authors.affiliation: Oregon Research Institute, Eugene, OR, USA.
authors.forename: Anthony
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Biglan
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Outcomes & Policy, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA.
authors.forename: Alexander C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Wagenaar
mesh_terms: D004777:Environment; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D006291:Health Policy; D006801:Humans; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic / Q000379:methods; D012107:Research Design; D057170:Translational Research, Biomedical / Q000379:methods*
keywords: Complex intervention; Evaluation design; Health; Translational research; Well-being