Evaluation and Risk Reduction Projects in Ethnic and Racial Minority Communities

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to describe basic program evaluation principles designed to improve implementation of AIDS risk reduction programs targeted to ethnic and racial minority communities. Overrepresentation of Blacks and Hispanics among reported AIDS cases demonstrates the need for effective AIDS prevention programs that are scientifically sound, ethnicly acceptable, and culturally sensitive. Health educators also must become aware of subgroups within Black and Hispanic communities when targeting educational interventions. This complex cultural web presents a formidable challenge for program evaluation. While summative evaluation ultimately will be valuable, it may be premature now. It is incumbent for AIDS education program planners to ensure that rigorous summative evaluations are not administered in a premature effort to eliminate direct federal funding of minority community based strategies to stop the spread of HIV infection.