As the global prevalence of obesity and chronic diseases
continues to rise, the need for effective health promotion programs is
imperative. Whilst research into effectiveness of health promotion programs is
needed to improve population health outcomes, translation of these research
findings into policy and practice is crucial. Translation requires not only
efficacy data around what to implement, but also information on how to
implement it. Evaluation seeks to optimise translation by answering questions
related to how to implement evidence-based interventions under real world
conditions [1]. Evaluation
studies the implementation strategies and adds value to
efficacy outcomes [2], potentially informing on program reach, fidelity and
sustainability. Hence evaluation is now recognised as an integral component of
all health promotion programs [2]. Ultimately, comprehensive evaluation
provides essential knowledge about program implementation practices and
processes, which is vital to the translation of programs into varied setting
and population
Presently, evaluation has been applied inconsistently to
health promotion programs [5], limiting the translation of knowledge. Health
promotion programs have further been criticised for insufficient evaluation
planning [6] and scrutinised as “fail (ing) to contribute to their own quality
enhancement” [5]. Barriers to evaluation include funding constraints, lack of
knowledge, skills and familiarity with evaluation methodologies and poor
availability of measurement tools. Information related
to evaluation is often difficult to access through conventional
academic literature and is more often located in non-academic grey literature.
Additionally, terminology in this field is inconsistent and there is
considerable overlap between areas such as implementation research and
evaluation.
In this context, we aimed to review and summarise the
literature and discuss planning and development of comprehensive health
promotion evaluations. This is relevant to health professionals, researchers
and end users, who seek insight into evaluation designs and are engaged in
driving evidence into policy and practice. An enhanced appreciation of
evaluation methodologies and terminology aims to provide a foundation for those
new to evaluation.
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