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Easier Said than Done: Intervention Sustainability in an Urban After-School Program

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Abstract

Although sustainability is frequently described as a project goal in community-based programs, concentrated efforts to sustain interventions beyond the conclusion of research funding have only recently emerged as a focus of implementation research. The current paper describes a study of behavioral consultation to after-school program staff in low-SES, urban communities. Following consultation, staff use of four recommended tools and strategies was examined, emphasizing facilitators and barriers to sustainability. Results indicated high perceived utility and intention to use intervention components, but low sustainability at two follow-up time points within 1 year after the initial consultation concluded. Findings suggest that ongoing implementation support in community settings may be necessary to ensure the sustainability of interventions and meet the mental health needs of participating high-risk youth.

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Acknowledgment

The research described and writing of this manuscript were supported by the following grants: R34MH070637, F32MH086978, and T32DA007293.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Child Health Institute, The University of Washington, 6200 NE 74th St., Suite 100, Seattle, WA, 98115, USA

    Aaron R. Lyon

  2. The University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, USA

    Stacy L. Frazier, Tara Mehta, Marc S. Atkins & Jessica Weisbach

Authors
  1. Aaron R. Lyon
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  2. Stacy L. Frazier
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  3. Tara Mehta
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  4. Marc S. Atkins
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  5. Jessica Weisbach
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Correspondence to Aaron R. Lyon.

Additional information

Portions of this paper were presented at the 2008 annual convention of the Association for Psychological Science.

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Lyon, A.R., Frazier, S.L., Mehta, T. et al. Easier Said than Done: Intervention Sustainability in an Urban After-School Program. Adm Policy Ment Health 38, 504–517 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10488-011-0339-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10488-011-0339-y

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