Assignment 2

Assignment 2: Program Case Study

            The case study for evaluation is a prenatal fitness program designed to promote regular physical activity in Aboriginal women, in hopes of reducing their risk of developing gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM).  69 women from Saskatoon participated in the program, some of whom had a previous case of GDM. The program was held once a week and provided participants with free fitness instruction, as well as the opportunity to socialize with other mothers and receive educational materials and advice on health related issues.    

            To evaluate this program, I would utilize Stufflebeam’s CIPP model.  This would be a summative report as the program was completed in 1997 and the purpose of the evaluation would be to assess whether the program succeeded in meeting its objectives. Stufflebeam’s model is comprehensive and seeks information regarding a program’s context, input, process, and product. It is for these qualities and specific framework that I believe this model would be best suited in supplying stakeholders with the details needed to make informed decisions regarding the program’s merit.      

Evaluation Outline – CIPP Framework

Context – to assess the needs and problems associated with pregnant Aboriginal women and clearly understand the objectives for the program, I would interview program leaders and stake holders to gain further insight into the problem.  In addition, I would assess and confirm the background information that was collected on the women regarding their medical history and risk factors.  It would be valuable if baseline data regarding the women’s fitness levels was collected in order to compare to at the completion of the program.

Input – to determine the cost-effectiveness of the program and evaluate its strategies for implementation, a cost-benefit analysis would have to be conducted in order to determine if the program could be sustained in the long-term. To evaluate the program plans I would seek out similar programs to compare the model to.

Process – to evaluate the program’s activities I would interview or create a questionnaire for the beneficiaries and program facilitators in order to receive their assessment of the program’s implementation.  Questions that I would pose in the assessment would include: How did participants hear about the program? Did the once a week session meet their needs or should it have been held more often?  Did women benefit from the structure of the program including the educational materials provided and the opportunity to socialize with other mothers?      

Product – to identify and assess short and long term outcomes, I would collect both qualitative and quantitative data through interviews, questionnaires, and/or surveys. If baseline data was conducted at the onset of the program, the women would be given a post-test to determine if their fitness level had indeed improved.  The following questions would assist in this product evaluation:  Did the women continue to be physically active following the program’s completion? Did they develop GDM or type 2 diabetes? Did their children? Permitting time, cost, and resources, incorporating the use of a control group would be helpful in increasing the validity of the evaluation.

References

Dyck, R. F. (2003). Description and evaluation of a prenatal exercise program for urban Aboriginal women. Canadian Journal of Diabetes, 27(3), 231-238.

Stufflebeam, D. L. (2003, March). The CIPP Model for Evaluation: An update, a review of the model’s development, a checklist to guide implementation. In Annual Conference of the Oregon Program Evaluators Network (OPEN) Portland, Oregon.