WED-085 - Rapid Evaluation Using Pre-post Surveys Captures Significant Knowledge and Confidence Gains from Community-based Health Lessons

Brief Abstract Summary: Discover how a rapid, one-minute pre- and post-survey evaluation approach yielded significant improvements in knowledge and confidence among participants in community-based health lessons. Developed by the American Heart Association with turnkey materials for CBO-led delivery, lessons were implemented in English and Spanish across eight regions, achieving high satisfaction and broad reach (55% Black/African American, 77% female). From 3,550 matched surveys, 92% of knowledge items and 100% of confidence behaviors showed significant improvement. This approach highlights a scalable, low-burden evaluation model that supports equitable, community-aligned health education and continuous quality improvement.

Detailed abstract description: Introduction
Community-based health education contributes directly to health equity, but traditional evaluation methods often demand substantial resources and burden both staff and participants. To bridge that gap, we tested a rapid, low-burden evaluation method to measure the effects of brief health lessons delivered by community-based organizations (CBOs). The American Heart Association developed 13 health lessons on topics such as blood pressure control and healthy eating, aimed at improving cardiovascular health. They provided turnkey materials such as slides, talking points, and facilitator guides to support implementation. These lessons were delivered by community-based organizations across eight geographic regions in English and Spanish to ensure accessibility and cultural relevance.

Methods
From January 2022 to August 2024, CBO facilitators delivered the lessons and asked participants to complete one-minute pre- and post-surveys as part of a rapid-cycle evaluation approach, either in paper form or via Qualtrics links. A unique identifier matched each participant’s surveys for analysis. We analyzed knowledge changes using McNemar’s test and confidence changes using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Participant satisfaction was summarized via descriptive statistics.

Key Findings
We obtained 3,550 matched survey pairs. Knowledge improved significantly in 35 of 38 items (92%, p < .05), and confidence increased for all 29 measured behaviors (p < .05). Satisfaction was high: 84% rated the lessons above average or excellent, and 90% would recommend them. Demographically, 55% of participants identified as Black/African American and 77% as female, demonstrating reach into priority populations. A key limitation was 24% data loss from unmatched surveys, indicating room for improvement in matching procedures.

Conclusions
This evaluation demonstrates that one-minute pre- and post-surveys are a feasible, low-burden method for assessing community-based health education outcomes. The strong improvements in knowledge, confidence, and satisfaction underscore the utility of this approach for scalable, equity-oriented programming. Findings demonstrate that scalable, low-burden evaluation approaches can generate actionable insights for program improvement, replication, and sustainability, supporting equitable, community-aligned health education.