Health Promotion Evaluation: Recommendations to Policy Makers

This report provides guidance to policymakers and other decision- makers who can influence resources for planning, implementing, and evaluating health promotion initiatives. It makes the following conclusions:

1. Those who have a direct interest in a health promotion initiative should have the opportunity to participate in all stages of its planning and evaluation.
2. Adequate resources (10 per cent of total cost) should be devoted to the evaluation of health promotion initiatives.
3. Processes should be evaluated as well as outcomes.
4. The use of randomised control trials to evaluate health promotion initiatives is, in most cases, inappropriate, misleading, and unnecessarily expensive.
5. Expertise in the evaluation of health promotion initiatives needs to be developed and sustained.