289644
Strengthening health interventions in indigenous communities with culturally-responsive evaluation: A yup'ik-centered approach
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
: 9:30 a.m. - 9:50 a.m.
Jennifer Nu,
Center for Alaska Native Health Research, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK
Joel Hunt,
Center for Alaska Native Health Research, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK
Andrea Bersamin, PhD,
Center for Alaska Native Health Research, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK
Evaluation is a tool used to assess the effectiveness of social, health, and education programs and interventions in order to recognize program strengths and also to improve them. When research studies or health interventions take place in indigenous communities, there is a need for culturally-responsive evaluation of these programs. A participatory evaluation process based on the community's perspectives and measures of success can offer an in-depth examination about the program's community-wide impact and elucidate ways in which the program can be improved. The Fisheries-to-School (F2S) program is a community-based participatory research (CBPR) project designed to increase food security and improve diet quality in Alaska Native communities while simultaneously strengthening local and regional markets for sustainably harvested fish by reconnecting school children with their local food system. Researchers worked in partnership with a community advisory council to inform the intervention design and evaluation.The presentation will discuss how a Yup'ik-centered participatory evaluation process set the foundation for a mutually beneficial partnership between researchers and community members in designing and implementing a food-system intervention. We will critically examine the development of a participatory culture-centered evaluation tool that integrated community perspectives in understanding the success and unexpected outcomes of this multidisciplinary intervention. We will describe the challenges and opportunities of developing of the F2S evaluation and discuss the implications of a culture-centered evaluation that coordinates community-ownership of the research process as a long-term strategy to promote health among indigenous youth.
Learning Areas:
Conduct evaluation related to programs, research, and other areas of practice
Diversity and culture
Implementation of health education strategies, interventions and programs
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Program planning
Public health or related research
Learning Objectives:
Discuss the need for participatory, culturally appropriate evaluation of food system interventions in indigenous communities.
Describe the participatory process of implementing a Yup’ik-centered evaluation to inform CBPR intervention and evaluation design.
Identify components of the Fish-to-School intervention and evaluation design that were shaped by Yup’ik values and community priorities.
Discuss implications of a Yup’ik-centered evaluation that coordinates community-ownership of the research process as a strategy to promote health among Yup’ik youth.
Keyword(s): Evaluation, Alaska Natives
Presenting author's disclosure statement:Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have worked with indigenous communities in many capacities, including the coordination and delivery of several public health and nutrition-related programs that serve diverse audiences in Alaska. My current position as a research assistant for the Fish-to-school program involves coordinating a community-advisory council to conduct a culturally-responsive evaluation in a Yup'ik community.
Any relevant financial relationships? No
I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines,
and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed
in my presentation.
