224.692.01 FORMATIVE RESEARCH FOR BEHAVIORAL AND COMMUNITY INTERVENTIONS

Examines how to conduct formative research and use its findings in the many stages of developing, implementing and evaluating public health interventions. Discusses cross-cutting issues on study design, staff training, community entry and involvement, and data management and use. Presents and analyzes case studies on multi-method formative research and the use of the data collected to develop more effective behavioral and community interventions. Examples presented and analyzed include programs to prevent and control HIV/AIDS, malaria, dengue hemorrhagic fever, diarrhea and neonatal mortality in Latin America, Africa and Asia. Students read assigned materials, attend class, actively engage in classroom discussions, and develop a formative research protocol on a topic of their interest.

The course's main learning objectives are: 1) formulate formative research questions appropriate for each stage in intervention development; 2) identify appropriate methods and place them within a study protocol; 3) prepare for coordinating a formative research component in the field; and 4) review and learn current approaches taken and ways in which data was utilized in selected case studies.