Evaluating Community-Based Health Improvement Programs

• DOI: 10.1377/hlthaff.2017.1125
• Publication Date: 2018-01-08T20:52:07Z
• Authors: Carrie E. Fry; Sayeh S. Nikpay; Erika Leslie; Melinda B. Buntin
• Keywords: Community Health

Increasingly, public and private resources are being dedicated to community-based health improvement programs. But evaluations of these programs typically rely on data about process a pre-post study design without comparison community. To better determine the association between implementation county-level outcomes, we used publicly available for period 2002–06 create propensity-weighted set controls conducting multiple regression analyses. We found that was associated with decrease less than 0.15 percent in rate obesity, an even smaller proportion people reporting poor or fair health, increase smoking. None changes significant. Additionally, program counties tended have younger residents higher rates poverty unemployment nonprogram counties. These differences could be driving forces behind implementation. evaluate programs, funders should provide guidance expertise measurement, collection, analytic strategies at beginning