Evaluating Coalition Capacity to Strengthen Community–Academic Partnerships Addressing Cancer Disparities

The Arkansas Cancer Connection Program is a community–academic partnership between the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and nine community-based coalitions designed to address cancer health disparities through community-based participatory research. In 2005, a survey measuring coalition capacity was administered to 51 Cancer Council members to assess training needs and increase coalition capacity. The highest scoring components were leadership and member engagement while the lowest were development and capacity effectiveness. Effectiveness correlated with aspects of coalition capacity. The evaluation identified training needs, which were met by projects leveraging the coalition's strengths to advance community-based participatory research addressing cancer disparities.