Evaluation of the development, dissemination and effectiveness of mass media health programming

Many mass media health promotion programs seem to fail because of inadequate attention to several levels of evaluation research, possibly during product development. A rational sequence of evaluation research is suggested and described. Pre-production research includes planning research, concept testing, and pretesting of rough forms of the product. Audience testing research is suggested post-production but prior to dissemination – it includes small-scale assessments of message/product acceptability and efficacy. Post-dissemination research includes implementation, effectiveness, and process evaluation. It is argued that greater emphasis be placed on formative (pre-production) research and audience testing (particularly efficacy testing) than is usually the case.