Conduct a Program Evaluation

Assessing your program will help you measure whether your program has changed employees' behaviors or medical care costs.  It will also help you modify your program to better meet employee needs.^{39, 192} There are two basic types of program evaluations: 1) process evaluation and 2) outcome evaluation.

Process evaluations are used to document and assess the program implementation and basic operation of the program. This type of evaluation seeks to examine why or how a program works. Ask yourself –

• What program activity was implemented?
• How much did it cost?
• Who did it impact?
• Was it implemented the way you planned?

Examples include–

• Participation rates, such as number of employees enrolled in or attending a particular activity.
• Allocation and use of resources or facilities (i.e., use of fitness center).
• Dose delivered and received (i.e. amount of programs made available and attended).
• Quality of the program.
• Tracking Participant satisfaction of program.

Outcome evaluations are used to help you determine whether the objectives of the program were achieved.¹⁹³ It involves looking at the results, effects, or benefits of a program. This type of evaluation seeks to assess whether or not a program works.

Examples include–

• Changes in attitude, knowledge, and health behavior in employees.
• Changes in health indicators and reduced risk factors, such as reduced BMI and weight and increased physical activity levels.
• Absenteeism rates, productivity, medical care utilization and cost.
• Change in total costs attributable to high BMI.
• Change in number of employees with high BMI.
• Positive changes in health culture or physical environmental. 

Pre and post-tests can help you gather information about your employees' physical activity and nutrition behaviors and the worksite environment.  A post-test can help you measure these changes if you collected the same information during your pre-test. Obtaining post-test assessment and outcome data can be conducted quarterly, semi-annually or annually. Consider that a reasonable amount of time may need to take place before you see any changes. Conduct a post-test and compare them to pre-test results obtained during your needs assessment.

You can use the results of your assessment in different ways, depending on what the data indicate. Outcome data that show that your program has been successful in achieving its objectives and improving employee health and can be used to help secure continued management support and funding for the future of your program.

It is also possible that your assessment will deliver outcome data that show that program objectives are not being achieved, such as an activity that shows a drop off in participation within the first three to four weeks or no measurable change in food purchases in cafeteria and vending machines. Evaluating the program will help you determine why the drop off occurred and what you can do to improve it. Once realistic objectives are set, routinely monitoring your evaluation data will help determine if program objectives are or are not being achieved. This information will help you to understand how you need to change your program in order to increase its success.

The CDC Framework for Program Evaluation in Public Health (PDF-514k) recommends the following six steps for program evaluation:

• Engage stakeholders
• Describe the program
• Focus the evaluation design
• Gather credible evidence
• Justify conclusions
• Ensure use and share lessons learned

Also in This Section

• Calculate Your Return on Investment
• Expert Interview

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