Author: Smith ML1, Durrett NK2, Schneider EC3, Byers IN2, Shubert TE4, Wilson AD5, Towne SD Jr.6, Ory MG7
Affiliation: <sup>1</sup>Texas A&M University, Center for Population Health and Aging, College Station, TX, United States; Texas A&M School of Public Health, Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, College Station, TX, United States; The University of Georgia College of Public Health, Department of Health Promotion and Behavior, Athens, GA, United States. Electronic address: matthew.smith@tamhsc.edu.
<sup>2</sup>The University of Georgia College of Public Health, Institute of Gerontology, Athens, GA, United States; The University of Georgia School of Social Work, Athens, GA, United States.
<sup>3</sup>University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, Chapel Hill, NC, United States.
<sup>4</sup>Shubert Consulting, Chapel Hill, NC, United States.
<sup>5</sup>Texas A&M University, Center for Population Health and Aging, College Station, TX, United States.
<sup>6</sup>Texas A&M School of Public Health, Department of Health Promotion and Community Health Sciences, College Station, TX, United States; Texas A&M School of Public Health, Southwest Rural Health Research Center, College Station, TX, United States; Texas A&M University, Center for Population Health and Aging, College Station, TX, United States.
<sup>7</sup>Texas A&M University, Center for Population Health and Aging, College Station, TX, United States; Texas A&M School of Public Health, Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, College Station, TX, United States.
Conference/Journal: Eval Program Plann.
Date published: 2018 Feb 13
Other:
Volume ID: 68 , Pages: 194-201 , Special Notes: doi: 10.1016/j.evalprogplan.2018.02.001. [Epub ahead of print] , Word Count: 268
With 1-in-4 older adults suffering a fall each year, fall prevention efforts have emerged as a public health priority. Multi-level, evidence-based fall prevention programs have been promoted by the CDC and other government agencies. To ensure participants and communities receive programs' intended benefits, organizations must repeatedly deliver the programs over time and plan for program sustainability as part of 'scaling up' the initiative. The State Falls Prevention Project (SFPP) began in 2011 when the CDC provided 5 years of funding to State Departments of Health in Colorado, New York, and Oregon to simultaneously implement four fall prevention strategies: 1) Tai Chi: Moving for Better Balance; 2) Stepping On; 3) Otago Exercise Program; and 4) STEADI (STopping Elderly Accidents, Deaths, and Injuries) toolkit. Surveys were performed to examine systems change and perceptions about sustainability across states. The purposes of this study were to: 1) examine how funding influenced the capacity for program implementation and sustainability within the SFPP; and 2) assess reported Program Sustainability Assessment Tool (PSAT) scores to learn about how best to sustain fall preventing efforts after funding ends. Data showed that more organizations offered evidence-based fall prevention programs in participants' service areas with funding, and the importance of programming implementation, evaluation, and reporting efforts were likely to diminish once funding concluded. Participants' reported PSAT scores about perceived sustainability capacity did not directly align with previously reported perceptions about PSAT domain importance or modifiability. Findings suggest the importance of grantees to identify potential barriers and enablers influencing program sustainability during the planning phase of the programs.
KEYWORDS: Evidence-based programs; Fall prevention; Multi-level community programs; Older adults; Program Sustainability Assessment Tool; Sustainability
PMID: 29621686 DOI: 10.1016/j.evalprogplan.2018.02.001