November 2002

Evaluating Community-Based Tobacco Prevention Programs

Minnesota’s Experience

Amy J. Ellestad, MPHLaura Hutton, MAMinnesota Department of Health

November 2002

Minnesota Youth Tobacco Prevention Initiative’s (MYTPI)

M PAAT3%

Youth R isk Behav ior16.5%

MYTPI83 .5%

Com petitive GrantsStatew ide and Local Prevention

Tobacco Endow m ent9%

Adm inistered by MDH5% of FMV* for prevention program s

U of MNAcadem ic H ealth Center

6%

M ed ical EducationR esearch Costs

6%

G enera l Fund76%

Tobacco Settlement$6.1 billion

* FMV= Fair Market Value

Relationship to Tobacco Settlement

November 2002

Components of MYTPI

November 2002

Community-Based Grantee Focus Areas

Reduce Exposure to Secondhand Smoke All locally funded grantees required to address SHS Populations-at-risk grantees strongly encouraged to address

SHS Implementing Comprehensive School-based Tobacco

Prevention Youth Advocacy Assuring Access to Treatment Reducing Youth Access

November 2002

Evaluation Requirements of Community-Based Programs

Evaluation Plan and Report One staff person to oversee the implement

evaluation plan Minimum 10% of the grant toward

evaluation Use evaluation results to improve program Approval on all surveys

November 2002

Program Evaluation Assistance Center (PEAC)

Awarded a grant to the University of Minnesota Division of Epidemiology

Evaluation Coordinators, graduate assistants, a faculty director, and an associate director

Charge: Support grantees to evaluate their program Evaluate common types of activities occurring

throughout the state

November 2002

How PEAC Works with Grantees

PEAC coordinators meet with grantees to develop evaluation plans

The grantees are responsible for implementing their evaluation plans

PEAC supports the grantees in implementing the evaluation plan by providing services

November 2002

Services PEAC Offers to Grantees

Training on evaluation topics Creating forms & logs to manage data Writing questions and providing advice on

focus groups and interviews Customized survey development

November 2002

Services PEAC Offers to Grantees

Customized data entry spreadsheets for surveys

Help with data interpretation & analysis Using evaluation results to improve

programs Assistance in final report development

November 2002

Statewide Evaluations of Common Types of Activities

PEAC conducts assessments of common activities done across grantees

Common activities include: working with schools youth development activities second hand smoke

November 2002

Lessons Learned

Providing one-on-one evaluation help is useful to grantees

Grantees need help in turning work plans into evaluation plans

Grantees need to understand how to use their data for program improvement

November 2002

Lessons Learned

The more flexibility allowed in work plans, the harder it is to provide evaluations across grantees

By working closely with grantees, evaluators can give a “heads up” on problems to Health Dept.

Having a close relationship between Health Dept. grant managers and evaluators is critical

Concrete steps help grantees move toward “Best Practices”