Evaluation of the National Health Promotion Policy (PNPS): prospects and challenges

摘要

This article analyzes prospects and challenges for the evaluation of the implementation of the National Health Promotion Policy in Brazil. Based on a critical review of the literature, it highlights the limits of the approaches that pay little heed to the theory of programs and reject evaluation as know-how entrenched in the historical, cultural and political dynamics of each society. The conclusion is that despite recent advances in this debate, the evaluation of complex, participatory and intersectoral programs imposes in-depth reflection on the nature of proof of effectiveness as well as methodological strategies capable of illuminating aspects of the concept and design of actions and the process of implementation in the local context, over and above the emphasis on risk factors and final results.