Evaluating Health Promotion

Sets the concepts of health promotion and of evaluation in their historical context, and highlights key issues in the evaluation of health promotion interventions. This book is useful for graduate and postgraduate students of health promotion and public health.

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Health Promotion is a relatively new discipline and there is little in the way of practical help for students and practitioners in choosing and implementing appropriate evaluation methods. As the demands for rigorous evaluation and evidence-based decision-making increase, health promotion cannot ignore the need for accurate, reliable and valid methods to carry out evaluation. This book provides clear descriptions (with plentiful practical examples) of such methods, and the problems that can arise from their implementation. The book sets the concepts of health promotion and of evaluation in their historical context and highlights key issues in the evaluation of health promotion interventions. Both qualitative and quantitative methods that are commonly used are described and the problems and benefits that arise with their use are explained. Experiences in the practical implementation of evaluation are explained, with examples from a variety of different social, economic and cultural contexts. In this second edition new examples including evaluating social marketing and the difficulties of evaluating 'hidden' problems such as intimate partner violence are explored.The book is written in a highly accessible way with a clear lay out and numerous boxes highlighting key points, making it an invaluable resource for all graduate and postgraduate students of health promotion and public health.
Practitioners of health promotion will find this book provides a clear practical guide to common methods of evaluation and will help them design and implement appropriate and informative evaluations which help to strengthen the health promotion evidence base. Programme Managers responsible for the implementation of health promotion interventions will find clear examples and guidance to help them evaluate activities.