Case study of the use of evaluation evidence to inform diabetes prevention programming in two Canadian health regions: effectiveness of evaluation evidence.

This study compares the use of evidence in two 18-month Canadian projects with a similar goal: improved prevention of type II diabetes in women from ethno-cultural communities with a gestational diabetes diagnosis. Evidence used for both projects included epidemiological data and research literature, needs assessments with the target population, and project evaluations. Contexts for the use of evidence differed between the two projects in terms of the innovation and its level of complexity; organizational context and system readiness for change; and partnership characteristics. This study showed that while evidence played some role in determining project success, it was but one factor in deciding how project activities were (or were not) sustained.