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Book Review: Process Evaluation for Public Health Interventions and Research

This book takes a textbook approach to teaching about, and raising awareness of, the importance of conducting process evaluations that are methodologically sound and comprehensive in scope. The authors present many and varied uses of process evaluation, which are as rich and diverse as the programs themselves. Using a case study approach with an array of contributors, process evaluation examples are presented according to program settings (community, worksite, school, national or state). The result is an excellent hands-on learning guide that will become a preeminent text on conducting process evaluation. The systematic evaluation of public health interventions has become a prominent topic of discussion in the literature and classroom. The gold standard of program evaluation methods is the randomized controlled trial, which is used to determine whether program outcomes were achieved. Process evaluation—assessment of the implementation of a health program or policy— can answer ‘‘how’’ and ‘‘why’’ program outcomes were (or were not) realized; it is being recognized increasingly as a critical part of program design and evaluation. This resourceful book has many highlights, and its usefulness to planners, educators, evaluators, and students is immense. First, the editors provide their analysis of the gaps in current knowledge and practice of process evaluation, and guide the reader through issues to address these challenges and strengthen process evaluation efforts—for example, the importance of evaluating both fidelity and dose. Fidelity refers to the extent to which an intervention was implemented as planned; dose, both delivered and received, pertains to the extent to which the intervention reached its intended participants. Measuring both fidelity and dose provides internal validity to process evaluation. Second, the editors present a method for designing and implementing effective process evolution efforts in much more detail than elsewhere in the literature. This structure provides the evaluator with a systematic process, which will be extremely useful to both new and seasoned evaluators. Finally, the case studies discussed are an invaluable resource. Twelve case studies are provided in detail, all of which include examples of methods, evaluation tools, program descriptions, and lessons learned. For instance, in their case study on a process evaluation done with an obesity reduction program for American Indians, the authors describe data collection forms, timelines for data collection, and process evaluation components for each intervention piece. For a case study of a church-based nutrition program for African Americans, several of the process evaluation tools are provided for readers’ use. Without a doubt, this book is going to fill a void in textbooks and references on conducting process evaluations. The importance of conducting process evaluation—to determine why and how a program achieved (or did not achieve) its intended outcomes—will continue to be a key element in the future funding