During 1996 and 1997, the Lewin Group conducted a comprehensive assessment of two national programs of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF): Tobacco Policy Research and Evaluation Program (TPREP) and the Substance Abuse Policy Research Program.

For the portion of the assessment that focused on the Tobacco Policy Research and Evaluation Program, the primary objective was to address the following question: To what extent has the program produced increased information on policy-relevant options and active use of the information?

The Lewin Group, based in Falls Church, Va., is a national health care and human services consulting firm.

The project was part of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) Tobacco Policy Research and Evaluation Program national program.

Key Findings: The evaluation found that:

• The Tobacco Policy Research and Evaluation Program generated high quality research, as judged by the project directors' widespread success in disseminating their findings in peer-reviewed journals, in presentations at professional conferences and before legislative bodies, and in testimony for court cases.
• The research and researchers supported by the Tobacco Policy Research and Evaluation Program made material contributions to the national debate on tobacco policy.
• There has been a strong increase in the number of peer-reviewed policy articles related to tobacco over the past 11 years.
• Through the Tobacco Policy Research and Evaluation Program, RWJF was in the vanguard of initiatives established to support policy research and program evaluation.
• Prior to the inception of the Tobacco Policy Research and Evaluation Program, there were very few initiatives that supported tobacco policy research.
• The program attracted new researchers into the tobacco policy area.