Enhancing intervention fidelity: A means of strengthening study impact

PURPOSE. Intervention studies that address the goals of the Healthy People initiative are increasing, and many focus on health concerns of children and adolescents. The purpose of this paper is to present strategies and discuss the rationale for including intervention fidelity in study design. CONCLUSION. Researchers need to verify that their interventions were delivered as designed (intervention fidelity), and that variations from the design can be assessed. Infidelity can result in non-significant findings that are not due to the study design but rather to elements that affected the intervention delivery. IMPLICATIONS. Addressing intervention fidelity in study design supports the researcher's conclusion about associations between intervention and outcomes and helps reduce premature abandonment of potentially useful interventions.