The purpose of the study presented was to decrease levels of gestational diabetes mellitus in expectant aboriginal women by increasing their physical activity. A program took place weekly on Wednesday afternoons at the YMCA, a centrally located facility in Saskatoon. The program had an exercise component which consisted of a warm-up, cardiovascular activities, and a cool-down. Following the exercises there was a time for socializing where healthy snacks and information packets on a variety of subjects of interest to expectant mothers was provided.
Evaluation of this program could be done in a variety of ways, but the most effective would follow Scriven’s approach. The evaluation would be summative since the program has been completed. I would want the evaluator to be made aware of the program’s goals to make sure that he obtains all of the important and relevant information. A strategy that would work in this situation is having the participants fill out a questionnaire. If there weren’t a great number of questionnaires being returned, follow-up phone call reminders might be in order. Another strategy would be to interview the participants. New parents often don’t have a lot of time and a questionnaire might not be viewed as a priority, whereas much as an interview might. Either strategy could obtain the same information.
On important aspect of the evaluation of this program would be to accurately draw conclusions based on the results obtained. Important questions include:
- Does the sample accurately represent all expectant aboriginal women, or is the group defined more specifically?
- What aspects of the program could be improved to make it more effective?
Hi Anne,
ReplyDeleteWe both selected the same model for evaluation of this program. Your suggestion that the evaluation should define exactly who is represented in the sample is something that I had not considered. Since there are so many variables that could impact this study, I wonder how easy it would be to determine this.
Glenys
Hi Glenys,
ReplyDeleteMy thought was that having the class in the afternoon would very much limit which women could attend. Anyone employed and working the regular 9-5 hours would be excluded. Therefore, I don't think the sample is representative of all expectant aboriginal women.
I agree that there are many variables. Not the easiest study to accurately evaluate!
Anne
Hi Anne,
ReplyDeleteGood point regarding those women who would be full time employed. I would imagine it may have limitations for those attending school also.
Glenys
Anne
ReplyDeleteI agree with you and Glenys that outcomes are important. Whether to increase future funding or to start similar programs it does not make sense to offer any programming and not determine if it was effective. I am wondering if there are other questions you might ask outside of the two you have listed?
Jay
Jay,
ReplyDeleteMany questions came to mind. A few others are:
1. Does one session of exercise in a week actually make that much difference?
2. How much other exercise do the participants get?
3. What foods are included in the diet of the participants?
4. Was it easy to attend the program, or was it a challenge?
5. Would another time or location suit the participants better? What time? Where?
6. What role did the program play in the health-related decisions that participants made during the course of the pregnancy?
Many questions spring to mind - and some would be useful for this program evaluation, while others would just be interesting to know.