Using Community Based Participatory Research and Ripple Effects Mapping to demonstrate multi-level community impact of a tribal public health intervention

UC North Ballroom

Introduction. Evaluating the impacts and outcomes of interventions is a priority in the field of public health. However, participatory evaluation approaches, especially those able to demonstrate impacts of community-based interventions (which are often complex and intended to address multiple social ecological levels of change), are scarce. Ripple Effects Mapping (REM) is a novel participatory qualitative evaluation method that can be used for this purpose. This presentation describes the application of REM to evaluate impacts of a fall prevention intervention within the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (CSKT) Health Department. Methods. This evaluation took place within an ongoing community-based participatory research collaboration between CSKT Health and the University of Montana. The REM evaluation was conducted in-person, using the standard process of (1) Appreciate Inquiry; (2) Reporting; (3) Interactive Group Reflection; and (4) Mind Mapping. Results. Participants (N=12) were CSKT Health personnel and UM research support staff. Participants completed REM steps 1-4 during a two-hour session, and yielded eight primary areas of change across multiple social-ecological levels (e.g., age friendly spaces, social connectedness, community organization collaboration, knowledge sharing). Findings also included 12 sub-themes, connected to 38 unique outcomes. At completion, a visually displayed concept map of impacts, evidence, and relationships between impacts and outcomes was yielded.  Conclusion. REM is a promising, accessible, and economical tool to disseminate and make visible the multiple impacts of community-based interventions.