scholarly journals Planting the Seeds for High-Quality Program Evaluation in Public Health

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heather Codd ◽  
Leslie Fierro ◽  
Ann Marie Castleman ◽  
Robin Kuwahara ◽  
Maureen Wilce ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Program Evaluation ◽  
Public Health Practice ◽  
Control Program ◽  
Health Programs ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Public Health Programs ◽  
Professional Discipline ◽  
Quality Program ◽  
Evaluation Approaches

Evaluation and evidence-informed decision making are central to public health practice. In recent decades, the professional discipline of evaluation has experienced tremendous growth that can be leveraged for use in public health. To meet the growing need for program evaluation training, the National Asthma Control Program presents the e-textbook Planting the Seeds for High-Quality Program Evaluation in Public Health. This free e-textbook is designed to help public health students and professionals understand evaluation approaches and techniques to improve public health programs.

Teaching Graduate Students to Evaluate Public Health Programs Through Community-Based Learning

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 119-127
Author(s):  
Brenda M. Joly
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Program Evaluation ◽  
Core Competency ◽  
Learning Opportunities ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Health Programs ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Public Health Programs ◽  
Public Health Professionals ◽  
Community Based Learning

Public health professionals are increasingly called on to demonstrate program evaluation skills, a core competency for the field. Learning opportunities that are connected to community organizations with identified evaluation needs give students meaningful opportunities to build and test new skills. When thoughtfully implemented, community-based learning benefits both the student and the community, yet there are several important considerations for designing a course that incorporates this feature. This article describes one approach for teaching graduate public health students how to conceptualize and write a comprehensive program evaluation plan for a community agency, based on the needs, priorities, and capacity of that agency. Lessons learned and recommendations for adopting this model are discussed.

scholarly journals Leading the way: Qualities of leaders in preventing mis-implementation of public health programs

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Moreland-Russell ◽  
Emily Rodriguez Weno ◽  
Romario Smith ◽  
Margaret Padek ◽  
Louise Farah Saliba ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Public Health Practice ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Health Programs ◽  
Limited Resources ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Public Health Programs ◽  
Public Health Agencies

Abstract Background Public health agencies are increasingly concerned with ensuring they are maximizing limited resources by delivering effective programs to enhance population-level health outcomes. Preventing mis-implementation is necessary to sustain public health efforts and resources needed to improve health and well-being. Because executive management is responsible for making decisions such as approving or disapproving the continuance of a program, it is important to understand the attributes of public health leaders in preventing program mis-implementation. The purpose of this paper is to identify the important qualities of leadership in preventing the mis-implementation of public health programs. Methods In Spring 2019, we selected eight state health departments (SHD) to participate in qualitative interviews on decision making around ending or continuing programs. Forty-four SHD chronic disease employees were interviewed via phone, audio-recorded, and the conversations transcribed verbatim. All transcripts were consensus coded, and themes were identified and summarized. This analysis focused on themes related to leadership. Results Participants were program managers or section directors who had on average worked 11 years at their agency and 15 years in public health. The following themes emerged from their interviews regarding the important leadership attributes to prevent mis-implementation: (1) engagement, use of quality improvement, and being adaptive; (2) transparent and bidirectional communication; and (3) ability to navigate political influences. Conclusion This first of its kind study showed the close inter-relationship between mis-implementation and leadership. Increased attention to public health leader attributes can help to reduce mis-implementation in public health practice and lead to more effective and efficient use of limited resources. A better understanding of those attributes can provide further direction to future areas of attention and capacity building among current and future public health practitioners. Future research should incorporate a mixed-methods approach to more comprehensively understand the relationships of leaders and practitioners.

scholarly journals Biospecimen quality program in the biobank of the Norwegian Institute of Public Health

2012 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Liv Paltiel ◽  
Jeanette Aarem ◽  
Siri Bækken ◽  
Nina K. Stensrud ◽  
Kari Harbak
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Quality Control ◽  
Biological Material ◽  
Control Program ◽  
Sample Collection ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Quality Control Program ◽  
Long Term Storage ◽  
Quality Program ◽  
Processing And Storage

Background: The biological material collected, processed and stored in biobanks are important research tools and it is important to minimize preanalytical variations to provide researchers with high quality biological material that will give reproducible results. Methods: To minimize the preanalytical variations caused by sample collection, processing and storage, we have established a biospecimen quality program. It consists of quality assurance aspects as well as quality control programs to measure adherence to protocols and sample integrity. The quality control program includes measurements and evaluation of the DNA quality and quantity before storage, i.e. concentration, purity, fragmentation and PCR success, and long term storage programs for plasma, urine and RNA. Conclusions: The Biobank at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health has established a biospecimen quality program that ensures high quality specimens and provides the documentation required to use the biomaterial in a best possible way.

Risk Attitudes and Behavior Among Norwegian Adolescents

2005 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-38 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hilde Iversen ◽  
Torbjørn Rundmo ◽  
Hroar Klempe
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Traffic Safety ◽  
Behavior Modification ◽  
Health Programs ◽  
Risk Attitudes ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Public Health Programs ◽  
The Core ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
Attitudes And Behavior

Abstract. The core aim of the present study is to compare the effects of a safety campaign and a behavior modification program on traffic safety. As is the case in community-based health promotion, the present study's approach of the attitude campaign was based on active participation of the group of recipients. One of the reasons why many attitude campaigns conducted previously have failed may be that they have been society-based public health programs. Both the interventions were carried out simultaneously among students aged 18-19 years in two Norwegian high schools (n = 342). At the first high school the intervention was behavior modification, at the second school a community-based attitude campaign was carried out. Baseline and posttest data on attitudes toward traffic safety and self-reported risk behavior were collected. The results showed that there was a significant total effect of the interventions although the effect depended on the type of intervention. There were significant differences in attitude and behavior only in the sample where the attitude campaign was carried out and no significant changes were found in the group of recipients of behavior modification.

scholarly journals Evaluation of Typhoid Conjugate Vaccine Effectiveness in Ghana (TyVEGHA) Using a Cluster-Randomized Controlled Phase IV Trial: Trial Design and Population Baseline Characteristics

Vaccines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 281
Author(s):  
Andrea Haekyung Haselbeck ◽  
Birkneh Tilahun Tadesse ◽  
Juyeon Park ◽  
Malick M. Gibani ◽  
Ligia María Cruz Espinoza ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Blood Culture ◽  
Typhoid Fever ◽  
Conjugate Vaccine ◽  
Incidence Rates ◽  
Health Programs ◽  
Public Health Programs ◽  
High Burden ◽  
Pan African ◽  
Cluster Randomized

Typhoid fever remains a significant health problem in sub-Saharan Africa, with incidence rates of >100 cases per 100,000 person-years of observation. Despite the prequalification of safe and effective typhoid conjugate vaccines (TCV), some uncertainties remain around future demand. Real-life effectiveness data, which inform public health programs on the impact of TCVs in reducing typhoid-related mortality and morbidity, from an African setting may help encourage the introduction of TCVs in high-burden settings. Here, we describe a cluster-randomized trial to investigate population-level protection of TYPBAR-TCV®, a Vi-polysaccharide conjugated to a tetanus-toxoid protein carrier (Vi-TT) against blood-culture-confirmed typhoid fever, and the synthesis of health economic evidence to inform policy decisions. A total of 80 geographically distinct clusters are delineated within the Agogo district of the Asante Akim region in Ghana. Clusters are randomized to the intervention arm receiving Vi-TT or a control arm receiving the meningococcal A conjugate vaccine. The primary study endpoint is the total protection of Vi-TT against blood-culture-confirmed typhoid fever. Total, direct, and indirect protection are measured as secondary outcomes. Blood-culture-based enhanced surveillance enables the estimation of incidence rates in the intervention and control clusters. Evaluation of the real-world impact of TCVs and evidence synthesis improve the uptake of prequalified/licensed safe and effective typhoid vaccines in public health programs of high burden settings. This trial is registered at the Pan African Clinical Trial Registry, accessible at Pan African Clinical Trials Registry (ID: PACTR202011804563392).

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