Measuring and Predicting Service Providers’ Use of an Evidence-Based Parenting Program

Abstract

This study addressed the predictors of service providers’ use of a multi-level evidence-based program (EBP). Of the 92 trained providers participating in the study, 67 (72.8%) used the EBP at least once. A multidimensional index of the amount of usage (MUI) was created using three indicators. Providers’ self-efficacy and the amount of training they had received predicted their amount of usage. The community to which the providers belonged was also associated with their amount of usage. The findings underline the importance of studying many indicators of usage in implementation research and considering both provider-level and broader contextual variables as determinants of the use of EBPs.