Evaluation Projects

To assess the quality of program and policy interventions in achieving process and outcome objectives, IPRC develops and tests state-of-the-art methodologies for injury program evaluations. Our goal is to increase capacity among practitioners who work in regional, state, and local injury control units, and to facilitate development of sound evaluation research among injury control researchers and practitioners.

Evaluation of the Ho-Chunk Nation’s Tribal Motor Vehicle Injury Prevention Program

Motor vehicle crashes take an enormous toll among members of the American Indian and Alaskan Native communities. UNC IPRC is providing multi-year evaluation services to support a CDC-funded project awarded to the Ho-Chunk Nation (Wisconsin) to reduce motor vehicle related crash injuries and fatalities. These activities have been conducted as proposed for 2007.

Key Personnel:

Carolyn Crump, PhD (PI); Robert J. Letourneau, MPH

Other Organizations or Institutions Represented:

None

Funding:

National Center for Injury Prevention and Control

Contact:

Carolyn Crump, PhD

ccrump@email.unc.edu

Evaluation of the Tohono O’odham Nation’s Tribal Motor Vehicle Injury Prevention (Year I &II)

Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for children in American Indian and Alaskan Native communities. They are the cause of significant injury to adults as well. UNC IPRC is providing multi-year evaluation services to support a CDC-funded project awarded to the Tohono O’odham Nation (Arizona) to reduce motor vehicle related crash injuries and fatalities. These activities have been conducted as proposed for 2007.

Key Personnel:

Carolyn Crump, PhD (PI); Robert J. Letourneau, MPH

Other Organizations or Institutions Represented:

None

Funding:

National Center for Injury Prevention and Control

Contact:

Carolyn Crump, PhD

ccrump@email.unc.edu

Evaluation of the White Mountain Tribe’s Tribal Motor Vehicle Injury Prevention (Year I &II)

UNC IPRC is providing multi-year evaluation services to support a CDC-funded project awarded to the White Mountain Apache Tribe (Arizona) to reduce motor vehicle related crash injuries and fatalities. These activities have been conducted as proposed for 2007.

Key Personnel:

Carolyn Crump, PhD (PI); Robert J. Letourneau, MPH

Other Organizations or Institutions Represented:

None

Funding:

National Center for Injury Prevention and Control

Contact:

Carolyn Crump, PhD

ccrump@email.unc.edu

Indian Health Service Tribal Injury Prevention Cooperative Agreements Program Monitoring Project, Project #2

Implementing effective traffic safety efforts in American Indian and Alaskan Native communities requires a special knowledge of cultural issues. Therefore prevention efforts involve the community in the design and implementation of injury prevention programs. Monitoring and training services, which take into account the need for community involvement, are being provided to 22 Tribes/Tribal organizations funded through the Indian Health Service (IHS) Tribal Injury Prevention Cooperative Agreement Program (TIPCAP). The following activities are being conducted: 1) developing and distributing a project newsletter three times per year; 2) conducting technical assistance conference calls with sites three times per year; 3) providing on-going training and technical assistance to IHS and Tribal staff; 4) developing and conducting an annual training workshop; 5) providing evaluation consultation and technical assistance to IHS Headquarters, field, and Tribal staff; and 6) conducting one site visit to 13 Part I Basic TIPCAP sites. In 2007, these activities have continued as scheduled.

Key Personnel:

Carolyn Crump, PhD (PI); Robert J. Letourneau, MPH; Bekki Elmore, MPH

Other Organizations or Institutions Represented:

None

Funding:

U. S. Public Health Service, Indian Health Service

Contact:

Carolyn Crump, PhD

ccrump@email.unc.edu

Dissemination Evaluation of an Older Adult Falls Prevention Program

Each year in the U.S., nearly one-third of adults experience a fall. One strategy for preventing falls is to increase awareness of falls in this population through implementation of programs at places they gather. The goal of this project is to identify effective methods of disseminating an older adult falls prevention program to senior centers to increase the likelihood of adoption and implementation of the program by both the senior centers, as well as older adults. The objectives are to describe senior center barriers to adoption and implementation of the program and to develop dissemination strategies to address those barriers. A needs assessment has been conducted with a representative sample of 500 senior centers nationwide to describe determinants that may facilitate or impede adoption and implementation of the program. Findings from the needs assessment have been disseminated to participating senior centers and were presented at the 2007 American Public Health Association Conference.

Key Personnel:

Carri Casteel, MPH, PhD (PI); Maryalice Nocera, RN, MSN; Carol W. Runyan, MPH, PhD; Cindy Ware; Ciara Zachary; Dori Nagy; Angela Mickalide, PhD

Other Organizations or Institutions Represented:

Home Safety Council

Funding:

National Center for Injury Prevention and Control

Contact Person:

Carri Casteel, MPH, PhD

ccasteel@email.unc.edu

Evaluation of the Effectiveness of the Smoke Alarm Installation and Fire Safety Education (SAIFE) Program

Residential fire poses a significant threat to life and property in North Carolina. To address residential fires and related injuries, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention funds state health departments to deliver a Smoke Alarm Installation and Fire Safety Education (SAIFE) program in high-risk homes. This program involves collaboration with local communities to canvass neighborhood homes, install long-lasting lithium-powered smoke alarms, and provide general fire safety education with a 6-month follow-up to determine alarm functionality. UNC IPRC investigators will collaborate with RTI, the CDC, and the North Carolina Injury and Violence Prevention Program to evaluate the SAIFE program implementation in North Carolina.

Key Personnel:

J. Michael Bowling, PhD (PI); Stacey Cutbush, MEd

Other Organizations or Institutions Represented:

North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, Injury and Violence Prevention Branch

Funding:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (sub-contract through Research Triangle Institute)

Contact:

J. Michael Bowling, PhD

jbowling@email.unc.edu