Technical Assistance for the Evaluation of Community-Based HIV Prevention Programs

Abstract

Funding agencies are using technical assistance (TA) to strengthen the evaluation capacity of community-based organizations (CBOs) engaged in HIV prevention efforts. The authors used qualitative methods to identify the types of evaluation TA needed by CBOs, to understand CBOs' past experiences with evaluation TA, and to elicit ideas for optimal delivery of evaluation TA. Assistance in developing evaluation tools and data analysis were the most commonly cited needs. Preferred TA providers were characterized as having practical expertise, accessibility, cultural competence, communication skills, and collaboration skills. Critical elements of an ideal TA system were adequate funding, program-specific TA, and extensive interaction between TA providers and CBO staff. Study data were used to generate a set of recommendations for health educators and others who may provide CBOs with TA for evaluating prevention programs.

An Investigation Into the Social Context of Low-Income, Urban Black and Latina Women

“…Similar themes have arisen in life history interviews previously conducted among working-class, multi-ethnic populations in the same geographical area. 12 Black women more often described experiences of discrimination, often in relation to distrust of health care providers, the health system and medical research, as has been previously documented in the literature. 28–30 Other studies have documented that mistrust is rooted in the history of harmful treatment of Blacks, ranging from slave experimentation, the Tuskegee Syphilis Study, and inequities in health care access and treatment.…”

“…Qualitative data that considers the complex social, contextual, and material context of people’s lives, as was collected here, is particularly useful for informing the design of socially and culturally appropriate policies and interventions. 12,33 Given that the themes and health-related barriers arose at multiple levels (i.e. individual, interpersonal, organizational, community, and societal levels), it is critical that future interventions and programs take a multi-level approach and address multiple levels for change.…”

Understanding Dimensions of Organizational Evaluation Capacity

“…A similar approach to insourcing that is clearly within the realm of ECB is that used by Jolly, Gibbs, Napp, Westover, & Uhl (2003). These authors conducted an empirical qualitative study in order to identify the types of technical assistance required by community-based organizations, to understand these organizations' past experiences with evaluation, and to generate ideas for the best possible delivery of evaluation technical assistance.…”

Strategies Used by Community-Based Organizations to Evaluate Their Locally Developed HIV Prevention Interventions: Lessons Learned from the CDC's Innovative Interventions Project

“…These meetings might have facilitated efforts by CDC project staff to review existing intervention materials, observe all aspects of the interventions as routinely delivered, gauge the capacity of the CBOs and their evaluation partners, and develop realistic project timelines. The meetings also could have further clarified the usefulness of conducting an outcome evaluation for CBO staff, thereby addressing apprehensions, possible negative attitudes, and potential resistance by staff members who may view evaluations as competing with service delivery Jolly, Gibbs, Napp, Westover & Uhl, 2003;Kegeles et al, 2005;Mayberry et al, 2008;. Although the Innovative Interventions Project was not designed as a capacity-building project, the CBO evaluation experiences demonstrated a need for this kind of support, and a training component would have been a valuable addition.…”