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ensure that you include the right measures.
For example, if members of your intended
audience must know more about a topic
before behavior change can take place,
make sure you ask knowledge-related
questions in your evaluation.
From Whom
You will need to decide how many members
of each group you need data from in order
to have a sufficiently powerful evaluation to
assess change. Make sure you have
adequate resources to collect information
from that many people. Realize that you may
also need a variety of data collection
instruments and methods for the different
groups from whom you need information.
How
Before you decide how to collect your data,
you must assess your resources. Do you
have access to, or can you train, skilled
interviewers Must you rely on self-reports
from participants
Also consider how comfortable the
participants will be with the methods you
choose to collect data. Will they be willing
and able to fill out forms Will they be willing
to provide personal information to
interviewers Will the interviews and
responses need to be translated
5. Collect Data
Collect postprogram data. You should have
collected baseline data during planning in
Stage 1, before your program began, to use
for comparison with postprogram data.
6. Process Data
Put the data into usable form for analysis.
This may mean organizing the data to give
to professional evaluators or entering the
data into an evaluation software package.
7. Analyze the Data to Answer the
Evaluation Questions
Use statistical techniques as appropriate to
discover significant relationships. Your
program might consider involving universitybased
evaluators, providing them with an
opportunity for publication and your program
with expertise.
8. Write an Evaluation Report
A report outlining what you did and why you
did it, as well as what worked and what
should be altered in the future, provides a
solid base from which to plan future
evaluations. Your program evaluation report
explains how your program was effective in
achieving its communication objectives and
serves as a record of what you learned from
both your program’s achievements and
shortcomings. Be sure to include any
questionnaires or other instruments in the
report so that you can find them later.
STAGE 4
Making Health Communication Programs Work 117