Evaluating quality and sustainability: issues and insights from the Minnesota Heart Health Program

Many community-based studies have been implemented nationally and internationally in the last two decades. Quality and sustainability are desirable qualities of such health-promotion programs, yet have received relatively little attention in the literature. This paper begins to address these issues by examining the quality of programs that were incorporated and continued by the three intervention communities of the Minnesota Heart Health Program (MHHP). Of the original MHHP programs, 53% were still in operation 6 years after formal interventions stopped. Key staff members with each of these programs were interviewed regarding changes to the program (57% had been changed substantially), and aspects of program quality such as ongoing staff training, regular planning and evaluation activities, and management structure. Overall, programs were found to be of good quality. Reflections on the process of assessing quality are discussed, and insights on incorporation offered.