Developing and Using a Common Framework to Evaluate FASD Programs: Results of a Three-Year Canadian Project

This article discusses a three-year Canadian project that created common Evaluation Frameworks for Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) support programs and for FASD prevention programs (i.e., programs serving people living with FASD and programs serving pregnant women and mothers). The project’s mixed-methods approach included a comprehensive literature search and consultations across Canada with multi-disciplinary service providers, program funders, researchers, and evaluators. These activities led to development of three visual “maps” depicting evaluation of: a) FASD support programs; b) FASD prevention programs; and c) FASD programming in Aboriginal communities. In addition, the team provided mentoring and evaluation-related support to program staff, funders and/or partners of five community-based FASD-related agencies. Informed by a social determinants of health lens, the maps are comprised of concentric rings showing programs’: theoretical foundations; activities; program outcomes; and wholistic participant, community and systemic outcomes. The article also shares findings regarding the applicability and utility of the Frameworks and of evaluation-related mentoring.     

Interoperability—Making Information Systems Work Together

Disaster literature suggests that children's and adolescents’ post-disaster reactions vary according to their developmental levels. Preschool children show less psychological problems as compared to older children and adolescents, but they have a higher incidence of trauma-specific fears and behavioral problems (e.g., dependency, clinging). School-age children's disaster responses include sleep and eating disturbances, behavioral problems, and poor school performance. Adolescents tend to exhibit symptoms such as posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety, belligerence, and pessimistic views about the future (Korol, Green, &; Gleser, ).     

Profiles of Adolescent Identity Development: Response to an Intervention for Alcohol/Other Drug Problems

The purpose of this study was to examine identity development among adolescents participating in an after-school alcohol/other drug (AOD) abuse intervention program (8 females and 12 males, ages 14–17) to identify how identity development was associated with intervention success. To achieve this goal we (a) garnered information from two identity interviews conducted during the first week of the intervention and 6 to 8 weeks later; (b) adopted a qualitative, person-centered analytical strategy to identify identity profiles; and (c) examined the intervention response of the adolescents, as recorded in intervention documents, in the different identity profile groups. Analyses revealed five identity profiles wherein adolescents differed in their responses to the “identity challenges” encountered in the intervention. Implications for AOD interventions are discussed.     

Overall nutritional completeness (ONC): A new integrative measure of nutritional and agricultural performance quality of garden crops

In spite of increased efforts to integrate nutrition and agriculture there are relatively few methods developed to effectively do so in the design and analysis of agricultural interventions. In order to develop and test a method to link agricultural production and nutritional benefits, fall gardens were planted by researchers and low‐income households in five locations in the New River Valley, Virginia. Edible portion yield per square meter was calculated as a basic nutrition/agricultural yield measure. In order to use a more discriminating measure, crop nutrient yield equivalents (CNYE) for limiting nutrients (vitamins A and C, iron, and calcium) were calculated. The CNYE indicates the number of days that 100% of the USRDA would be supplied. Summing the CNYE scores across nutrients provided a ranking of the overall nutritional completeness (ONC) of the crops. The ONC ranking thus supplies a measure of yield and nutritional efficiency that can be adapted for different nutrition requirements and gardening conditions.