Evaluating the impact of interventions in the Multisite Violence Prevention Study: samples, procedures, and measures

This paper discusses the procedures and measures that were developed and utilized to evaluate the impact of the GREAT (Guiding Responsibility and Expectations in Adolescents Today and Tomorrow) programs in the Multisite Violence Prevention Project (MVPP). First, we describe the three different samples used to examine the impact of the programs, and the different sources of data used to assess these samples. Next, we outline procedures used to collect and manage the data. In the last section, we summarize the final set of measures selected for use in this study. Throughout the paper, we highlight ways in which the participating institutions collaborated to develop consistent procedures for use across the four sites. Overall, the paper provides important information related to the evaluation of violence prevention efforts, particularly for working effectively in multisite collaborative studies.