TY - JOUR
T1 - Reconsidering community-based health promotion
T2 - Promise, performance, and potential
AU - Merzel, Cheryl
AU - D'Afflitti, Joanna
PY - 2003/4/1
Y1 - 2003/4/1
N2 - Contemporary public health emphasizes a community-based approach to health promotion and disease prevention. The evidence from the past 20 years indicates, however, that many community-based programs have had only modest impact, with the notable exception of a number of HIV prevention programs. To better understand the reasons for these outcomes, we conducted a systematic literature review of 32 community-based prevention programs. Reasons for poor performance include methodological challenges to study design and evaluation, concurrent secular trends, smaller-than-expected effect sizes, limitations of the interventions, and limitations of theories used. The effectiveness of HIV programs appears to be related in part to extensive formative research and an emphasis on changing social norms.
AB - Contemporary public health emphasizes a community-based approach to health promotion and disease prevention. The evidence from the past 20 years indicates, however, that many community-based programs have had only modest impact, with the notable exception of a number of HIV prevention programs. To better understand the reasons for these outcomes, we conducted a systematic literature review of 32 community-based prevention programs. Reasons for poor performance include methodological challenges to study design and evaluation, concurrent secular trends, smaller-than-expected effect sizes, limitations of the interventions, and limitations of theories used. The effectiveness of HIV programs appears to be related in part to extensive formative research and an emphasis on changing social norms.
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U2 - 10.2105/AJPH.93.4.557
DO - 10.2105/AJPH.93.4.557
M3 - Review article
C2 - 12660197
AN - SCOPUS:0037986266
VL - 93
SP - 557
EP - 574
JO - American Journal of Public Health
JF - American Journal of Public Health
SN - 0090-0036
IS - 4
ER -