Recorded presentation

Winston Liao, PhD¹, Leslie P. Boss, MPH, PhD², W. David Austin, MS, MPH³, Kimrey Millar, BS¹, and Betty Burton, MFA, BS¹. (1) Center for Research in Education, RTI International, 3040 Cornwallis Road, P.O. Box 12194, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709-2194, 919-541-6389, wliao@rti.org, (2) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road, N.E., MS E-17, Atlanta, GA 30333, (3) Center for Health Promotion Research, RTI International, 3040 Cornwallis Rd., P.O. Box 12194, Research Triangle Park, NC 027709-2194

As part of an effort to further examine the success of pilot studies of Power Breathing, an asthma intervention for adolescents, RTI International with support from CDC, is conducting a rigorous evaluation of the effectiveness of this program in two school systems in Virginia and Kansas. Our approach to the evaluation follows a four-stage process that includes: (1) groundwork, (2) formalization, (3) implementation, and (4) utilization. Based on this framework, we will present strategies that we used for evaluating this school-based intervention. These include: establishing an infrastructure for communication with program implementers; soliciting advocacy and buy-in from community representatives; conducting formative research; planning the evaluation; communicating with school nurses; performing the following types of evaluation—process, impact, outcome, and cost-effectiveness; and reporting back to the stakeholders. We will also present results from the field experience (program implementation and data collection from February-May, 2004) of employing a quasi-experimental design that used matched comparison schools and pre-post testing and mixed-mode data collection techniques to gather both quantitative and qualitative data across relevant domains. Lastly, we will highlight implications from this study for school personnel and decision-makers regarding the potential impact of an innovative, teen-focused, asthma intervention in a school-based setting.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, the participant in this session will be able to

• Describe a four-stage process for the evaluation of a teen-focused, asthma intervention program.
• Discuss the activities associated with each stage of this evaluation framework.
• List implications from this study for school personnel and decision-makers regarding the potential impact of an asthma intervention in a school-based setting.

Keywords: Public Health Education, Interventions

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.

Recorded presentation