56 - Strategies for Equitable Evaluation: Centering Federally Funded Program Recipient Perspectives in a Comprehensive Multi-Site Evaluation

Abstract Information: Critical to implementation of an equitable evaluation is centering the perspectives of program participants and their partners from the start of an evaluation to the conclusion. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention (DHDSP) funds (2023-2028) The National Cardiovascular Health Program, The Innovative Cardiovascular Health Program, and the Well-Integrated Screening and Evaluation for WOMen Across the Nation Program (WISEWOMAN) to implement evidence based and innovative strategies to address cardiovascular disease, underlying social determinants of health, and health disparities. DHDSP's Evaluation and Program Effectiveness Team (EPET) contracts with Deloitte Consulting to design an equitable evaluation approach that assesses the extent to which evidence-based strategies and activities are implemented in each jurisdiction. This project also documents health outcomes among populations bearing disproportionate risk of hypertension and cardiovascular disease. To amplify the voices of funding recipients within the evaluation, EPET and Deloitte Consulting recruited and convened program-specific Evaluation Planning Groups (EPGs) with 8-10 recipient voluntary representatives from each of the three programs. EPG members are program managers and evaluators who self-nominate to serve as external advisors to contribute their experience and expertise to guide the evaluation design and approach. EPGs meet with the EPET two to three times per year to ensure the EPG members’ perspectives are centered throughout the evaluation. EPG members also provide context for the interpretation of evaluation findings and input on dissemination planning. In response to recipient feedback, we tailored data collection strategies and streamlined data collection requests to minimize participation burden while addressing key evaluation questions. Empowering recipient programs to be at the core of the evaluation improves the feasibility of data collection, strengthens evaluation of evidence-based strategies, enhances the utility of findings, and supports the identification of outcomes and promising practices to transform health systems and underlying structures that exacerbate health inequities and disparities. This poster will provide an overview of the methods used to organize the EPGs, the strategies implemented for modifying our evaluation approach based on EPG feedback, and lessons learned on enhancing engagement of EPG members to maximize their impact.