Design a Health Intervention

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“However beautiful the strategy… You should occasionally look at the

results.”

-Winston Churchill

A program is an organized method of providing related services to a group of customers.

“Program evaluation is carefully collecting information about a program or some aspect of a program in order to make necessary decisions about the program.”

Carter McNamara Free Management Library

Used by permission

Determine program impact Quantify benefits for the Client Compare resources used/results

achieved Identify areas for improvement Identify unexpected outcomes

Program evaluation is useless.

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Program evaluation is about program success or failure.

Program evaluation is very complicated and

can only be done by experts.

Program evaluation takes too much time.

OR

There isn’t enough time to do program evaluation.

Program evaluation left to “chance” or

until “there is time” will never happen.

Make a plan.

What you need to know?

Why you need to know it?

How you can measure what you need to know?

Data = a piece of information = outcomes Use data to:  Evaluate program effectiveness  Answer the “so what” question  Get client’s support  Write a budget justification  Use program resources effectively  Market your program

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Step #1: Get baseline data

Step #2: Plan and implement the program

Step #3: Collect and evaluate outcomes

Step #4: Make improvements

Start backwards. Determine what data is essential. Collect only a few items.

Helpful hint: use data that is already being collected.

Questions to consider:

What behaviors will/does the program affect?

How will these behaviors change because of program activities?

 What are the behavioral factors affecting the health need?

 What is the evidence that a behavior change will make a difference?

 Has the behavior been successfully changed by other health promotion programs?

 What other social, physical, or environmental factors influence the health need or the target population?

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Plan backwards.

Identify outcomes.

Determine what will be measured.

Identify critical program elements

What changed as a result of the program?

Compare outcomes data to baseline data.

Reality check: many program evaluations falter because of lack of outcomes data.

Simple

Structured

Creative

Flexible

 Have participants sign a contract.  Ask participants to contact YOU at a specific time (i.e., the

end of the month).  Have a reunion day; provide support and a forum for

successes – plus an opportunity to get follow-up data.  Sell the idea of follow-up to participants (what’s in it for

them).  Give something to participants when you ask for follow-up

(like a recipe or a fitness tip).  Divide participants into teams – tag the “team leader” to get

the information back to you.

 Put a box with a slot outside your office so participants can drop off follow-up information anytime.

 Have a contest: the team with the most information back gets a silly prize.

 Snag past program participants and get follow- up information when they enroll in another program.

Helpful hint: make the follow-up process as easy and convenient as possible.

What worked?

What didn’t work?

What could go better?

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 What was the specific impact?

 What unexpected outcomes occurred?

 What business practices changed or were improved?

 How was force readiness improved?

…your health promotion program is already up and running?

…you don’t have any baseline data?

…you didn’t plan ahead for a program evaluation?

Local college and graduate students Interns Past program participants

Let participants know you will be collecting follow-up information

Keep your data organized Define desired program outcomes

Convince the audience to buy into health promotion

Use program evaluation to quantify the value and benefits of health promotion

Program evaluation is essential for gaining Client’s support.

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Know your Client’s priorities. Think like a Client. Communicate the value of your activity to

your Client.

Build a network

Collaborate

Find all the data sources

Take advantage of resources that already exist.

Get baseline data Plan and Implement the program Collect outcomes and evaluate Make improvements based on the

evaluation