Development of a framework for evaluating the sustainability of community-based dengue control projects

There are currently no frameworks developed specifically for assessing community-based dengue control project sustainability. We first review the literature for frameworks for assessing project sustainability and second validate the framework criteria against the oldest community-based intervention using Mesocyclops in Xuan Phong commune, Nam Dinh province, north Vietnam, the subject of an intervention in 1998-2000. The framework used 13 criteria, clustered into three categories: 1) maintenance of health benefits from the original project, 2) continued delivery of community activities, and 3) human resource development. To provide consistency between criteria and to allow comparison both over time and with non-intervention communes, a five-point scale for each criterion was used, with the overall sustainability score calculated as the mean of all criteria. The framework offers a practical tool for assessing sustainability, and is amenable to adaptation for specific interventions without compromising the framework as a whole.