Evaluating Public and Community Health Programs

Abstract

This commentary provides a comprehensive review of key issues related to evaluating public and community health programs. This book is a valuable resource introducing a participatory model for evaluation and describes the approaches and methods for evaluating community health programs and policy interventions. Topics in the chapters are logically sequenced with sufficient details to orient public health and community health students as well as practitioners to program evaluation. The book’s emphasis on participatory approaches throughout the program evaluation process is congruent with the current trend of encouraging community-based participatory research in public health and health promotion. Two primary evaluation frameworks that are most common in public and community health are integrated and discussed: the Donaldson three-step program theory-driven evaluation approach and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s six-step Framework for Program Evaluation in Public Health. The book consists of a detailed survey of methods in community assessment, planning, program design, quantitative and qualitative data collection, data analysis, and reporting of findings to provide readers with a systematic, step-by-step process to program evaluation. It is a timely and well-written resource for faculty and students interested in participatory research to develop community-validated evaluation research.