Collaborative design and implementation of a multisite community coalition evaluation. Health Promotion and Practice

The purpose of this article is to describe the designand implementation of the Robert Wood JohnsonFoundation’s (RWJF) Allies Against Asthma cross-site evaluation. The Allies Against Asthma (Allies) program consists of seven coalition sites, each com-prising various stakeholders such as local health care providers, schools and day care centers, community advocacy groups, businesses, local government organiza-tions, managed care organizations, academic institutions, parent groups, and other community-based organizations, which aim to combat pediatric asthma. The evaluation approach for Allies was designed collaboratively by Evaluation designs assessing community coalitions must balance measures of how coalitions do their work and evidence that the coalitions are making a differ-ence. The Allies cross-site evaluation attempts to deter-mine the combined effects of the seven coalitions ’ work at the individual, organizational, and community levels. Principal components considered are (a) con-textual factors of the coalition community, (b) coalition processes and structure, (c) planning and planning products, (d) implementation actions, (e) activities and collaborations, (f) anticipated intermediate outcomes, and (g) expected asthma related health outcomes. Measurements are quantitative and qualitative, and data generated by these methods are used as ends in themselves and as a way to confirm or inform other measures. Evaluation has been an integral part of the planning and implementation phases of the Allies coalition work, with a priority of involving all of the partners in conceiving of and deciding upon the elements of assessment