Building the Evidence Base to Inform Planned Intervention Adaptations by Practitioners Serving Health Disparity Populations

Authors

Jennifer Alvidrez, National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD
Anna María Nápoles, National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD
Guillermo Bernal, Office of the President, Carlos Albizu University, San Juan, PR
Jacqueline Lloyd, National Institute on Drug Abuse, NIH, Bethesda, MD
Victoria Cargill, Office of Research on Women’s Health, NIH, Bethesda, MD
Dionne Godette, Office of Disease Prevention, NIH, Bethesda, MD
Lisa Cooper, epartment of Medicine, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
Maria Yellow Horse Brave Heart, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM
Rina Das, National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD
Tilda Farhat, National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1-2019

Abstract

Many evidence-based interventions (EBIs) have been developed to prevent or treat major health conditions. However, many EBIs have exhibited limited adoption, reach, and sustainability when implemented in diverse community settings. This limitation is especially pronounced in low-resource settings that serve health disparity populations.

Often, practitioners identify problems with existing EBIs originally developed and tested with populations different from their target population and introduce needed adaptations to make the intervention more suitable. Although some EBIs have been extensively adapted for diverse populations and evaluated, most local adaptations to improve fit for health disparity populations are not well documented or evaluated. As a result, empirical evidence is often lacking regarding the potential effectiveness of specific adaptations practitioners may be considering.

We advocate an expansion in the emphasis of adaptation research from researcher-led interventions to research that informs practitioner-led adaptations. By presenting a research vision and strategies needed to build this area of science, we aim to inform research that facilitates successful adaptation and equitable implementation and delivery of EBIs that reduce health disparities.

Comments

This work was supported in part by the following institutes and offices of the National Institutes of Health: the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD), the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the Office of Research on Women’s Health, and the Office of Disease Prevention.

This work resulted from an NIMHD-led workshop, which included external experts, to address intervention science for health disparities research.

Recommended Citation

Jennifer Alvidrez, Anna María Nápoles, Guillermo Bernal, Jacqueline Lloyd, Victoria Cargill, Dionne Godette, Lisa Cooper, Maria Yellow Horse Brave Heart, Rina Das, and Tilda Farhat, 2019: Building the Evidence Base to Inform Planned Intervention Adaptations by Practitioners Serving Health Disparity Populations American Journal of Public Health 109, S94_S101, https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2018.304915