Progress Report of the Role Delineation Project

Methodological Comparisons of Four National Health Education Specialist Role Delineation Research Projects (1978-2012) in the United States

“…Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, 1978), review of professional preparation standards, analysis of various preparation curricula, an analysis of job descriptions for health educators, feedback from individuals, workshop sessions, in-depth interviews using checklists, and pilot studies. These initial procedures of feedback from individuals, in-depth interviews, expert opinions, and pilot studies (Henderson & McIntosh, 1981a) also were used in the CUP and the HEJA. To identify content for advanced level Competencies and Subcompetencies, the GCDP researchers elicited expert opinions from practitioners and those in professional preparation institutions, and feedback from a National Congress of Institutions Preparing Graduate Health Educators (SOPHE & AAHE, 1997).…”

“…Standard item format refers to the rating of the skills (Subcompetencies) performed by health education specialists, regardless of the work setting in which they are employed. To define the role of the health education specialist, researchers have used two concepts: (a) frequency, defined as how often a health education specialist performs a specified skill, and (b) importance, defined as how important that skill is to the health education specialist’s job (Doyle et al, 2012; Gilmore et al, 2006; Henderson & McIntosh, 1981a). Within three of the studies (RDP, CUP, and HEJA), questionnaires were designed so respondents could independently rate the frequency with which they performed the skill in their current position, along with the importance of that skill in carrying out the responsibilities of their current position.…”

“…There was variation in the data collection process across these studies as illustrated in Table 2. Procedures included (1) key informant meetings to establish study procedures in RDP, GCDP, CUP, and HEJA (AAHE et al, 1999; Doyle et al, 2012; Gilmore et al, 2006; Henderson & McIntosh, 1981a); (2) pilot data collection during establishment of instruments and procedures for RDP, CUP, and HEJA (Doyle et al, 2012; Gilmore et al, 2006; Henderson & McIntosh, 1981a); (3) preliminary contact with potential respondents to determine eligibility for participation in RDP, CUP, and HEJA (Doyle et al, 2012; Gilmore et al, 2006; Henderson & McIntosh, 1981a); (4) instrument design to present items (Subcompetencies) randomly, as in CUP (Gilmore et al, 2006), or organized by Areas of Responsibility, as in HEJA (Doyle et al, 2012); (5) mailed distribution and return of the data collection instruments in RDP, GCDP, and CUP (AAHE et al, 1999; Gilmore et al, 2006; Henderson & McIntosh, 1981a); (6) online completion of questionnaires for HEJA, which was initiated at a time when health education specialists had access to a full range of electronic communication capabilities (Doyle et al, 2012); (7) follow-up prompting of members in the respondent pool who did not meet the original deadline for returning surveys in RDP, CUP, and HEJA (Doyle et al, 2012; Gilmore et al, 2006; Henderson & McIntosh, 1981a); and (8) follow-up contact with nonrespondents to determine the reason for nonresponse (RDP, CUP). The follow-up surveys provided a basis for understanding reasons for nonresponse and evaluation of the accuracy of the sample listings (Gilmore et al, 2005b; Henderson & McIntosh, 1981a).…”

“…In 1975, Helen Cleary, then President of the Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE), was instrumental in initiating a process for clarifying the professional identity and professional preparation of health educators (Cleary, 1995). The first Role Delineation Project (RDP), 1978 to 1981, was designed to develop the initial role specification for entry-level health educators and to refine and verify that role (Henderson & McIntosh, 1981a, 1981b; Henderson, McIntosh, & Carlyon, 1980). This was the first attempt to identify the generic role of the health educator, regardless of the practice setting.…”

“…This was the first attempt to identify the generic role of the health educator, regardless of the practice setting. Additionally, the RDP researchers identified knowledge essential for performance of the skills of the entry-level health educator (Henderson & McIntosh, 1981a). In 1988, the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing, Inc. (NCHEC) was established as an independent, not-for-profit agency to administer a voluntary national credentialing system using the results of the RDP as the basis for certifying health education specialists.…”