Monitoring and Evaluation to Advance Health Equity Programs at Emory University Urban Health Initiative: A Special Studies Project Open Access

Duncan, Kamea (Spring 2022)

Permanent URL: https://etd.library.emory.edu/concern/etds/k643b238w?locale=en
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Abstract

Introduction: Emory University Urban Health Initiative (UHI) was founded in 2011 to use unique health education, advocacy, and collaborations to address the interdisciplinary health issues and disparities experienced by urban residents in the Metropolitan Atlanta area. Out of the 15 programs currently hosted by UHI, this thesis focuses on Health Careers Collaborative (HCC), Walk with a Doc (WWaD), and COVID-19 Data Monitoring (CDM).

 

Purpose: Overall, these programs play a role in health education and promotion that has the potential to detect, mitigate and eliminate poor health outcomes stemming from non-communicable ​and communicable diseases and disparities in education, socioeconomic status, and healthcare. The goal of this M&E Plan is to develop, monitor, and evaluate a plan to make the HCC, WWaD, and CDM health equity programs at UHI, more efficient and impactful for predominantly low-resourced and minority communities in Atlanta, Georgia by June 2023. This evaluation plan will facilitate the assessment of program activities at UHI to ensure they are being implemented as intended and producing anticipated outputs and outcomes.

 

Methods: A Theory of Change (ToC) was developed for each program to describe and visually display how a program’s inputs, activities, outputs, and outcomes, are supposed to deliver the desired results. This was portrayed in a logic model and further explained using a logical framework. The logical frameworks and detailed-oriented indicators can be used to measure and track the progress of each program toward the program’s goal.

 

Discussion: UHI is currently exemplifying it’s mission statement with innovative programming and constructive collaborations, yet could benefit from enhancing their capacities, recruitment strategies, and activity implementation. Once limitations are addressed, various recommendations are applied, and the newly developed comprehensive M&E plan is implemented, the UHI will be able to advance their mission and measure the progress toward outcomes in their target communities. 

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Introduction. 1

1.1. Background of Emory University‘s Urban Health Initiative. 1

1.2. History of the programs. 2

1.3. Target Population and Beneficiaries. 3

1.4. Key stakeholders. 4

Chapter 2: Literature Review.. 5

2.1. Health Disparities & Health Inequities. 5

2.2. Social Determinants of Health. 7

2.3. Public Health Implications. 9

2.4. Health Inequity Mitigation (programs, policies, or solutions) 12

2.5. Importance of Monitoring and Evaluation. 13

2.6. Known Gaps, Challenges, and Limitations. 16

Chapter 3: Approach/ Methods/ Deliverables. 19

3.1. Approach. 19

3.2. Evaluation Questions. 20

3.3.Theory of Change and Logic Models. 20

3.4. Logical framework. 21

3.5. Indicators. 22

3.6. Health Careers Collaborative Program.. 22

3.7. Walk with a Doc Program.. 30

3.8. COVID-19 Data Monitoring Program.. 35

Chapter 4: Discussion and Public Health Implications. 42

4.1. Strengths. 42

4.2. Limitations. 43

4.3. Recommendations. 45

4.4. Public Health Implications. 48

4.5. Conclusions. 50

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