Data Storytelling Through the Lens of a Cross-Initiative Evaluation Project

Abstract Information: The Cross-Initiative Evaluation examines programmatic efforts of six violence prevention initiatives funded by the Prevention Practice and Translation Branch (PPTB) in the Division of Violence Prevention at Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The aim of this evaluation is to understand how PPTB program initiatives have contributed to violence prevention by identifying common themes across initiatives to assess implementation practices and shared risks and protective factors for violence prevention. These themes are undergirded by unique evaluation components which include seven cross-cutting focus areas and associated evaluation questions. This presentation will focus on data use among funded recipients and describe how data are used to share stories about program impact and to inform prevention action. As part of the evaluation, content and secondary analyses were conducted to determine how program recipients are using their data through planning materials and Annual Performance Reports. The goals of the evaluation, as well the involved planning and key components of the evaluation will be described. The presenters will highlight programmatic work across violence prevention domains and describe how recipients planned to use their data, common practices for data use, and discuss findings related to the use of data for program planning and improvement. The presenters will also share how program recipients facilitate data storytelling with their constituents through data dashboards and infographics. These findings can provide a snapshot of programmatic efforts and data use occurring across violence prevention programs. The presenters will also discuss how these findings have informed prevention strategies and technical assistance guidance.

Relevance Statement: The Prevention Practice and Translation Branch (PPTB) in the Division of Violence Prevention (DVP) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provides funding to state and local health departments, state agencies, and coalitions to implement violence prevention programs that address shared risk and protective factors to prevent different domains of violence. DVP utilizes a public health approach to drive violence prevention efforts which includes defining and monitoring violence-related issues, identifying risk and protective factors of violence, developing and testing violence prevention strategies, and assuring the widespread adoption of violence prevention efforts. The public health approach for violence prevention is prominently guided through the utilization of data. As such, PPTB Notice of Funding Opportunities (NOFO) emphasize the use of credible primary and secondary data sources to make programmatic decisions during program planning and implementation phases. For example, funded recipients can use data to identify priority populations and to determine the most appropriate violence prevention strategies for a selected population. As funded recipients use data for program decision making , key themes and take aways are drawn. These themes are relevant for disseminating findings and creating systems for data sharing and data management (e.g., data dashboards) to inform prevention actions. As the need for violence prevention efforts continue to expand, it is pertinent to capture violence prevention programs and practices through data storytelling that is informed by cross-program evaluations. This presentation will demonstrate the utility of evaluation methods to understand common practices of data use across federally funded violence prevention programs. More specifically, the presentation will describe specific elements of a novel cross-cutting program evaluation design as well as analytical approaches needed to aggregate data elements across multiple violence prevention initiatives. This presentation will also highlight findings from this evaluation related to PPTB program recipient data use. This presentation adds to our knowledge in that it provides a practitioner audience with considerations for a cross-program evaluation design as well as implications for how these evaluation efforts capture specific programmatic activities related to data storytelling across multiple violence prevention initiatives. The application of this evaluation method amplifies broader violence prevention efforts and programmatic outcomes across multiple local and state initiatives. The information from this presentation is relevant to public health program evaluators, state health departments, coalitions, local agencies, and community partners who are collaboratively working to address violence and assess the utility of using data to inform violence prevention strategies and practices.