W. Douglas Evans
W. Douglas Evans
Ph.D.
Professor
School: Milken Institute School of Public Health
Department: Prevention and Community Health
Contact:
950 New Hampshire Avenue, Office: 312- Floor 3
Washington DC 20052
Dr. W. Douglas Evans is Professor of Prevention and Community Health & Global Health in the Milken Institute School of Public Health at The George Washington University. Dr. Evans has published over 200 peer-reviewed journal articles, books and book chapters on health education, communication, and social marketing behavior change interventions. He has authored and/or edited four books, most recently Social Marketing Research for Global Public Health from Oxford University Press in 2016.
Specifically, Dr. Evans’ work focuses on the translation of communication and marketing strategies into intervention strategies to promote adoption of health behaviors and avoidance of health risk behaviors, both in the United States and in low and middle income countries (LMIC) worldwide. He studies digital health technologies, including mobile phones and social media, and their application to changing health behavior. He applies these methodologies to reduce health disparities and improve health equity.
In 2022, Dr. Evans founded the Behavioral Research Insights & diGital Health Technology (BRIGHT) Institute at GW. The BRIGHT Institute supports research on digital health technologies and their application to public health, promoting healthy behaviors, and preventing disease. Digital health technologies include all digital media and devices, such as the internet, mobile phones, social media, apps, SMS. The BRIGHT Institute supports faculty conducting research on the use of these technologies as platforms for interventions, to conduct surveillance (infodemiology), and to evaluate the effectiveness of new digital media as they emerge.
Dr. Evans has pioneered the design, evaluation, and translation of marketing and branding techniques into public health practice. Since 1998, beginning with his work in tobacco control, he has developed health branding as an extension and application of existing theories of behavior change, including the Social Cognitive Theory and the Integrated Model. Specifically, Dr. Evans views brand equity, a multi-dimensional higher order construct that represents the mental associations that consumers form with a product, service, or behavior, as a mediator of behavior change. Dr. Evans has translated this construct from commercial applications into public health and has validated a multi-dimensional scale for use in intervention research in multiple domains of public health worldwide, including LMIC.
Dr. Evans has had multiple National Institutes of Health and Foundation funded grants involving the design and evaluation of digital health interventions, primarily in non-communicable disease prevention including cancer and tobacco control, and nutrition and physical activity promotion. He is currently principal investigator of the National Cancer Institute grant entitled Digital Media for Cancer Control: Randomized Controlled Trial and Dose-Response Effects (CA253013). This 5-year study (2020-2025) will refine existing digital media exposure and dosage measurement techniques and conduct a series of studies to evaluate the effects of anti-vaping and anti-smoking digital messages on young adult tobacco use behavior.
Dr. Evans is also MPI on a grant from the National Institute of Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD; MD016829) to optimize and evaluate a previously developed mobile app to support exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) among African American/Black (AA/B) mothers as an adjunct to postpartum clinical care. Dr. Evans is leading an RCT to evaluate the app, entitled KULEA-NET (2022-2024). The app has several innovative features: a) EBF educational entertainment-based videos and testimonials from experienced AA/B mothers, and encouraging adoption and engagement with the KULEA-NET platform; b) Micro-learning related to EBF; c) Support network communication tools; d) Context-aware delivery framework; and e) a Virtual community support network bringing together AA/B mothers and their partners, spouses, and family members to foster a community of mutual support.
Dr. Evans is also PI of a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to evaluate the gestational and antenatal care (gANC) program in two states in Nigeria (INV-043363). This study is to conduct a quasi-experimental evaluation of gANC answer questions about its effectiveness in different settings as well as how gANC can be designed to be successful in different settings. The study will run from 2023-2025.
Dr. Evans is also co-I of a grant from NIMHD (MD018296) entitled “Changing the Narrative on Firearms Violence: A Community Collaborative Intervention. “This intervention seeks to address one of the ways that structural marginalization and racism fuel, over time, community-normative perceived life-course and identity options for youth that highlight violence as an attainable means of gaining reputation, status, efficacy, and tangible assets. This narrative reframing effort involves the identification of non-violent alternative identities or “possible selves” that offer at least some of the benefits currently attributed to the use of violence, dissemination of youth-generated media through multiple community channels that highlight narratives and trajectories featuring these alternate identities, and commensurate support from multiple community organizations to help youth pursue those alternative pathways. The combined GWSPH and community team will conduct both phases in partnership with, and as part of the CLIF-VP as a cooperative agreement.
Dr. Evans was PI on a recently completed a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) to design and evaluate the impact of a COVID-19 vaccination promotion social media campaign among health care workers in Nigeria (INV-033413). This project used the Facebook and Instagram (Meta) platforms to empower social influencers in Nigeria to promote the benefits of vaccination specifically among health care workers and seeks to overcome vaccine hesitancy in this diverse population. Dr. Evans led a 2-year impact evaluation (2021-2023) that used a novel social media recruitment and data collection strategy and evaluate the dose-response effects of pro-vaccination social media on vaccine hesitancy and COVID-19 vaccination rates in several large states in Nigeria.
Behavioral Health
Community Health
Evaluation Research
Health Communication
Health Information Technology
Nutrition
Prevention
Program Evaluation
Risk Assessment, Management and Communication
Social Marketing
Underserved Populations
Ph.D., Cognitive Science, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 1991.
M.A., Cognitive Science, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 1988.
B.A., Psychology/Philosophy, Reed College, Portland, OR, 1984.
PubH 6503: Introduction to Public Health Communication and Marketing, Department of Prevention and Community Health
PubH 6572: Marketing Research for Public Health
PubH 6099: Public Health Branding Theory and Practice
Dr. Evans has had multiple National Institutes of Health and Foundation funded grants involving the design and evaluation of digital health interventions, primarily in non-communicable disease prevention including cancer and tobacco control, and nutrition and physical activity promotion. He is currently principal investigator (PI) of the National Cancer Institute grant entitled Digital Media for Cancer Control: Randomized Controlled Trial and Dose-Response Effects (CA253013). This 5-year study (2020-2025) will refine existing digital media exposure and dosage measurement techniques and conduct a series of studies to evaluate the effects of anti-vaping and anti-smoking digital messages on young adult tobacco use behavior.
Dr. Evans is also PI of a study to promote COVID-19 vaccination among health care workers (HCW) in Nigeria, sponsored by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BGMF). This study aims to use digital media and a social norms approach using online and in-person community influencers to promote uptake of COVID-19 vaccines among doctors, nurses, and allied health professionals in Nigeria. This intervention applies social norms as strategy to promote widespread population-level acceptance of the vaccines by encouraging emulation of HCW. Dr. Evans leads an evaluation of this initiative using a virtual laboratory online survey platform that tracks exposures to the social norms messaging on social media and surveys a panel of HCW.
Dr. Evans also designed and evaluated the BeFAB mobile app to promote healthy weight management among postpartum African American women. He was PI of an NIH-sponsored R21 feasibility trial to evaluate the app among patients in a large hospital facility and to assess the suitability of the app as an adjunct to clinical care. The study demonstrated high degrees of engagement with the intervention, showed an increase among app users in physical activity compared to control, and demonstrated clinically meaningful weight loss among app users.
Previously, Dr. Evans led a quasi-experimental nation-wide evaluation of the Saleema initiative to eliminate FGM in Sudan using a novel monitoring system that collects data on Saleema implementation from all 18 states across Sudan and uploads data to a central repository for analysis. A 5-year evaluation demonstrated Saleema was effective in promoting anti-FGM social norms. This effective program has been adopted by the WHO and African National Congress for implementation across the continent.
Dr. Evans also led a randomized pilot evaluation of HPV vaccination promotion in Rwanda, which demonstrated that an edutainment approach increased knowledge and positive attitudes and beliefs about vaccination. He also led a study on modern cookstove demand generation under funding from the UK Department of Foreign Investment and Development (DFID). This project evaluated 4 interventions to generate demand for modern cookstoves, such as those using liquid propane gas (LPG), in Bangladesh, Kenya, and Nigeria. Demand generation techniques from this project, such as point-of-decision promotions and educational entertainment, are examples of the intervention strategies employed in Dr. Evans’ research.
Dr. Evans also evaluated the text4baby program, which was an early example of mobile health and among the largest SMS text messaging interventions to change health behavior implemented in the US. In two RCTs, text4baby was shown to improve a wide-range of maternal and child health beliefs, social norms, intentions, and behavioral outcomes. In a large trial at a military hospital, text4baby exposure produced a significant reduction in alcohol consumption during pregnancy, and also demonstrated a dose-response effect (i.e., greater exposure to text4baby reduced alcohol consumption and other measured health outcomes to a greater degree).
Evans, W.D., French, J. (2021). Demand Creation for COVID-19 Vaccination: Overcoming Vaccine Hesitancy through Social Marketing. Vaccines. https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines9040319.
Napolitano, M.A., Harrington, C.B., Patchen, L., Ellis, L.P., Ma, T., Chang, K., Gaminian, A., Bailey, C.P., Evans, W.D. (2021). Feasibility of a digital intervention to promote healthy weight management among postpartum Black women. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 18(4), 2178; https://doi.org/10.3390/
French, J., Deshpande, S., Evans, W.D., Obregon, R. (2020). Key guidelines in developing a pre-emptive COVID-19 vaccination promotion strategy. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 17(16), 5893; https://doi.org/10.3390/
Evans, W.D., Ulasevich, A., Hatheway, M.J., Deperthes, B. (2020). Systematic Review of Peer-Reviewed Literature on Global Condom Promotion Programs. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 17(7). pii: E2262. https://doi.org/10.3390/
Evans, W.D., Andrade, E.L., Pratt, M., Mottern, A., Chavez, S., Calzetta-Raymond, A., Gu, J. (2020). Peer-to Peer Social Media as an Effective Prevention Strategy: Outcomes and Dose-Response Effects. Journal of Medical Internet Research. https://doi.org/10.2196/16207.
Evans, W.D., Young, B.N., Johnson, M.A., Jagoe, K.A., Charron, D., Rossanese, M., Morgan, K.L., Gichinga, P., Ipe, J. (2019). The Shamba Chef Educational Entertainment Program to Promote Modern Cookstoves in Kenya: Outcomes and Dose-Response Analysis. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. DOI: 10.3390/ijerph662321.
Evans, W.D., Thomas, C.N., Favatas, D., Smyser, J., Briggs, J. (2019). Digital Segmentation of Priority Populations in Public Health. Health Education & Behavior. Dec;46(2_suppl):81-89. DOI: 10.1177/1090198119871246.
Evans, W.D., Andrade, E.L., Barrett, N., Edberg, M., Cleary, S. (2019). Outcomes of the Adelante Community Social Marketing Campaign. Health Education Research. DOI: 10.1093/her/cyz016.
Evans, W.D., Donahue, C., Snider, J., Bedri, N., Elhussein, T.A., Elamin, S.A. (2019). The Saleema Initiative in Sudan to Abandon Female Genital Mutilation and Cutting: Outcomes and Dose Response Effects. PLOS One, 14(3): e0213380. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0213380.
Evans, W.D., Nielsen, P., Szekely, D., Wallace, J., Murray, E., Snider, J. (2015). Dose-Response Effects of the text4baby Mobile Health Program: Randomized Trial. Journal of Medical Internet Research: mHealth uHealth. DOI: 10.2196/mhealth.3909.
Evans, W.D., Pattanayak, S.K., Young, S., Buszin, J, Rai, S., Wallace, J. (2014). Social Marketing of Water and Sanitation: Systematic Review of Peer-reviewed Literature. Social Science &Medicine, 110:18-25. DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2014.03.