Lessons learned from multisite implementation and evaluation of Project SHARE, a teen health information literacy, empowerment, and leadership program

Authors

  • Alla Keselman Social Science Analyst, Division of Specialized Information Services, National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, MD
  • Rachel Anne Chase Health Educator Consultant, Office of Health Equity, Florida Department of Health in Hillsborough, Gainesville, FL
  • Jennifer Rewolinski MS Student, University of Maryland School of Nursing, Baltimore, MD
  • Yulia Chentsova Dutton Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, Georgetown University, Washington, DC
  • Janice E Kelly Acting Deputy Associate Director, Division of Specialized Information Services, and Chief, Outreach and Special Populations Branch, National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, MD

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5195/jmla.2019.351

Keywords:

Adolescents, Community Outreach, Health Disparities, Health Information, Health Literacy, Program Evaluation, Special Populations

Abstract

Background: This case study describes the implementation and evaluation of a multisite teen health information outreach program. The objectives of the program were to increase health knowledge, health information literacy, interest in health careers, community engagement, and leadership skills of teens in disadvantaged communities.

Case Presentation: Teens at six sites across the country participated in a multi-week curriculum that focused on various aspects of health literacy, information literacy, and leadership. Lesson topics addressed personal health, social determinants of health, information quality, and communication and advocacy skills. Program evaluation included both quantitative and qualitative components and focused on multiple knowledge and skills outcome variables. Results suggested that while teens at all sites showed improvement, particularly with respect to engagement and interest in the topics, the degree of gains in knowledge and information literacy measures varied significantly from site to site.

Conclusion: On-site implementation planning, cohesive integration of added activities, and emphasis on retention can contribute to implementation and evaluation effectiveness. This work also underscores the limitation of a purely quantitative approach to capturing the impact of health information and stresses the importance of supplementing numerical scores and statistics with qualitative data.

 This article has been approved for the Medical Library Association’s Independent Reading Program.

Author Biographies

Alla Keselman, Social Science Analyst, Division of Specialized Information Services, National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, MD

Senior Social Science Analyst, Division of Specialized Information Services

Rachel Anne Chase, Health Educator Consultant, Office of Health Equity, Florida Department of Health in Hillsborough, Gainesville, FL

Health Educator Consultant, Office of Health Equity

Jennifer Rewolinski, MS Student, University of Maryland School of Nursing, Baltimore, MD

MS Student

Yulia Chentsova Dutton, Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, Georgetown University, Washington, DC

Associate Professor, Department of Psychology

Janice E Kelly, Acting Deputy Associate Director, Division of Specialized Information Services, and Chief, Outreach and Special Populations Branch, National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, MD

Acting Deputy Associate Director, Division of Specialized Information Services, Chief, Outreach and Special Populations Branch

References

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Published

2019-01-04

Issue

Vol. 107 No. 1 (2019): January 2019

Section

Case Report