The Impact of Fidelity on Program Quality in the Healthy Families America Program

The current study examined the relationship between program fidelity, or adherence to the program model, and program outcomes using the Healthy Family America Program Model. Specifically, 103 program sites were evaluated based on their adherence to the program model. The outcome indices included the percentage of children with updated immunizations and the percentage of children with primary care physicians. First order correlations, multiple regression, and canonical correlation were used to analyze the data. The results of the study are mixed. Specifically, an overall index of fidelity is positively related the percentage of children with updated immunizations, but not to the percentage of children with primary care physicians. Additionally, only one of the 11 facets of fidelity was related to the percentage of children with updated immunizations. Both the implications for these findings and future avenues for research are discussed