A participatory evaluation model for Healthier Communities: developing indicators for New Mexico

Area of Science:

• Community health initiatives
• Program evaluation methodologies
• Public health systems research

Background:

• Healthy Communities initiatives benefit from community engagement.
• Participatory evaluation models align with collaborative public health efforts.
• Effective program evaluation is crucial for community health program success.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and describe a participatory evaluation model for a Healthy Communities initiative.
• To illustrate the application of participatory evaluation in a real-world community health program.
• To demonstrate the connection between program processes, system changes, and health outcomes.

Main Methods:

• Development of a participatory evaluation framework.
• Incorporation of community coalition input in evaluation design.
• Description of evaluation principles, research questions, and baseline data collection.

Main Results:

• The participatory evaluation model was successfully developed and implemented.
• Baseline findings established initial data points for tracking progress.
• The model effectively illustrates the pathways from program activities to health impacts.

Conclusions:

• Participatory evaluation is a suitable and effective approach for Healthy Communities programs.
• The developed model provides a clear framework for understanding program influence on community health.
• Evaluation findings highlight the interconnectedness of program implementation, system-level changes, and population health.