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Formative Research in School and Community-Based Health Programs and Studies: "State of the Art" and the TAAG Approach

Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland

Allan Steckler, DrPH

University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

Carolyn C. Johnson, PhD

Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana

Charlotte Pratt, PhD, RD

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, Bethesda, Maryland

Mira Grieser, MHS

University of Maryland, Baltimore

Julie Pickrel, MPH

San Diego State University, California

Elaine J. Stone, PhD, MPH

University of New Mexico, Albuquerque

Terry Conway, PhD

San Diego State University, California

Derek Coombs, MPH

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Lisa K. Staten, PhD

University of Arizona, Tucson

Formative research uses qualitative and quantitative methods to provide information for researchers to plan intervention programs. Gaps in the formative research literature include how to define goals, implementation plans, and research questions; select methods; analyze data; and develop interventions. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute funded the Trial of Activity for Adolescent Girls (TAAG), a randomized, multicenter field trial, to reduce the decline in physical activity in adolescent girls. The goals of the TAAG formative research are to (a) describe study communities and schools, (b) help design the trial’s interventions, (c) develop effective recruitment and retention strategies, and (d) design evaluation instruments. To meet these goals, a variety of methods, including telephone interviews, surveys and checklists, semistructured interviews, and focus group discussions, are employed. The purpose, method of development, and analyses are explained for each method.

Key Words: formative research • physical activity • girls • qualitative • intervention

Health Education & Behavior, Vol. 33, No. 1, 25-39 (2006)
DOI: 10.1177/1090198105282412


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