ASSESSING PREVENTION EFFECTIVENESS USING DATA TO DRIVE PROGRAM DECISIONS

The measure of the effectiveness of health promotion and disease preve ntion activities is the impact of prevention policies, programs, and p ractices on public health and clinical medicine. Assessing prevention effectiveness involves continuing quantitative analysis of health outc omes resulting from prevention practices. Additionally, assessment inv olves evaluation of disease- and injury-prevention activities, includi ng their medical, legal, ethical, and economic impacts. Although asses sing the effectiveness of prevention activities involves measuring eff icacy, safety, and cost, the primary criterion is to improve health at a reasonable cost, not merely to contain costs. Policy makers can use the results of assessments to set priorities in public health. The au thors use case studies to illustrate various approaches to evaluating prevention programs, including school health-education programs, and p rograms for preventing measles, breast cancer, and diabetic retinopath y. Rigorous evaluation of the effectiveness of prevention activities i s essential to the wide acceptance of preventive interventions and the willingness to pay for them.