Summary

From 2018 to 2022, CIRCA was contracted by the Commonwealth Department of Health to evaluate the 2018/19 – 2021/22 Tackling Indigenous Smoking (TIS) program, a national program to reduce smoking among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. CIRCA conducted a formative and summative, process and outcome evaluation of the TIS program. The evaluation assessed the extent to which best practice and evidence-based interventions were in place and effectively implemented; the extent to which and how program objectives were met; short- and medium-term outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples; and opportunities for program improvements and insight into whether the program should continue to be funded by the Commonwealth.

CIRCA’s Research Approach

CIRCA established a monitoring and evaluation framework at the onset of the project, which guided all data collection and analysis from 2018 to 2022. CIRCA worked closely with the Department of Health and other TIS stakeholders to develop and finalise the framework, as well as data collection tools (including 6-monthly Performance Reports required from all grant recipients).

CIRCA’s data collection approach involved:
• in-person and virtual site visits to 11 recipients of Regional Tobacco Control Grants (RTCG) and Regional Priority Group Grants (RPGG) across Australia, involving semi-structured qualitative interviews and focus groups with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non-Aboriginal TIS staff, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community partners, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community members
• semi-structured qualitative phone interviews with 30 grant recipients who were not the subject of site visits
• a comprehensive online survey of all grant recipient staff
• qualitative in-depth interviews with 10 national implementation stakeholders
• analysis of 41 grant recipients’ Performance Report data & Activity Work Plan data
• analysis of Quitline and Quitskills data.

CIRCA used qualitative and quantitative methods to analyse the data collected, to assess how and if implementation and outcome goals had been achieved.

Research Findings and Outcomes

Findings from the 2018/19 to 2021/22 evaluation show the program was implemented as intended, short-term and medium-term outcomes were largely achieved, and the evaluation highlighted areas for improvement. These findings were put to use by the Department of Health to inform future funding and key priorities of the program.

Final Evaluation Report

CIRCA’s final Evaluation Report can be downloaded here: Tackling Indigenous Smoking Program – Final Evaluation Report.

For more information and documentation on the Evaluation of the Tackling Indigenous Smoking Program, you can visit the Tackling Smoking webpage: Evaluation documents – Tackling Indigenous Smoking (tacklingsmoking.org.au)