Evaluation

Developing an evaluation plan

Developing an evaluation plan is essential to health communication campaign development and planning. It helps to assess the effectiveness of a campaign, guide future iterations and improvements, and determine what works and what doesn't. You should begin planning for the campaign evaluation from the very beginning, in the Planning and Strategy DevelopmentHere are a few things to consider when planning a campaign evaluation:

• Carefully and strategically plan the research questions and hypotheses to test.
• Consider the kinds of data that will be needed to answer questions and test hypotheses.
• When choosing a data collection instrument, consider the accessibility and cultural relevance of the instrument.
• Collaborate with a Research Associate to think through issues of data collection and analysis and to develop an evaluation plan.
• Establish a plan to fairly compensate community members and others included in the evaluation.

Disseminating results

Disseminating the results is also crucial, regardless of whether the campaign worked. Sharing what works and what doesn't can help others progress in solving health communication problems.

Determine what information should be share with community members and what the best format for sharing information is.

Refining the campaign

The campaign refining process is not linear, it’s cyclical. Use the results of your campaign evaluation to determine what is working, what could be improved, and what should be eliminated.

For additional guidance, visit the Research & Equity page. 

Information on this webpage was sourced from the CDC's Making Health Communication Programs Work Guide (CDC), CDCynergy, A Framework for Equity-Centered Health Communication, and Mackert, M. S., Lazard, A. J., & Love, B. (2017). Designing effective health messages. Kendall Hunt Publishing Company.