Process evaluations paper

M8: Evaluations Paper First Middle initial and of Prof. First and of lecturer February 4, Process evaluation focuses on whether the programs and activities are operating as planned. Following are the process evaluation plan for the dental health program, highlighting the key evaluation components identified by Linnan & Steckler (2002): 1. One strategy in this program is to use gynecologists to educate expectant mothers about the importance of breastfeeding their children, having a balanced diet, and maintaining appropriate oral health in their newborns and infants. Process evaluation would include assessing the context in terms of access to gynecologists and any potential barriers in using the services of gynecologists. The reach of the program will be determined in terms of the percentage of expectant mothers in Oklahoma City who visited these gynecologists. The dose delivered would include the number of times the gynecologists were able to speak to their clients. Dose received will be determined by conducting participant surveys regarding their awareness of maintaining good oral health in their children. Fidelity will be measured by ensuring that all participating gynecologists inform their clients about the importance of breast feeding, balanced diet and maintenance of good oral health in newborns and infants. It can be assessed using a checklist that lists the major aspects of oral health that needs to be presented to expectant mothers. Finally, the effectiveness of recruitment of prospective participants will be determined by examining the resources used to enroll participants (contacting prospective participates by mail or face to face interaction) and the reasons for non-participation among individuals. 2. Another strategy is to conduct annual school-based dental health screenings for all children between the ages of 6 and 10 years. Process evaluation would include assessing the context in terms of access to dental health services and financial environment of these children. The reach of the program will be determined in terms of the percentage of children who underwent school based dental health screenings. The dose delivered would include the number of times the dental health professionals were able to conduct screenings for these children. Dose received will be determined by conducting surveys among these children to measure their awareness about maintaining good oral health. Fidelity will be measured by ensuring that all participating dental health professionals are conducting dental health screenings on these children and providing them with dmft and DMFT scores (decayed, missing and filled teeth) for their primary and permanent teeth respectively. Finally the effectiveness of recruitment of prospective participants will be determined by examining the resources used to enroll these students and the reasons for non-participation. 3. Another strategy is to provide an hour long presentation on oral health and hygiene to all children between the ages of 6 and 10 years every month. Process evaluation would include assessing the context in terms of awareness about oral health needs, access to dental health services and economic environment of these children. The reach of the program will be determined in terms of the percentage of children who attended the presentation. The dose delivered will be assessed by measuring the number of times the dental health professionals were able to conduct the presentation on oral health and hygiene. Dose received will be determined by conducting surveys among these children to measure their awareness about maintaining good oral health and hygiene. Fidelity will be measured by ensuring that all participating dental health professionals are conducting the hour long presentation on oral health and hygiene for children between the ages of 6 and 10 years. Finally the effectiveness of recruitment of prospective participants will be determined by examining the resources used to enroll students and the reasons for non-participation among these students. Outcome evaluation focuses on whether the program and activities has an effect on the outcomes for program and the participants. Following is the outcome evaluation plan based on The Health Foundation of Greater Cincinnati’s Evaluation Packet (n. d.) : 1. With respect to the monthly presentation on oral health and hygiene for children, the short term outcome that will be assessed is the changes in knowledge, skills and attitudes of children regarding their oral health. Baseline data collected at the beginning of the program will be compared to the data collected every 6 months to identify any improvements. Intermediate outcome will monitor the changes in behavior (brushing their teeth twice a day and maintaining proper oral hygiene) among the children who attended the presentations. Again, baseline data collected at the beginning of the program will be compared to the data collected every 6 months to identify any improvements. Long-term outcomes will monitor the rate of dental caries among these children. Baseline data collected at the beginning of the program will be compared to the data collected every year to identify any reduction in rate of dental caries. 2. With respect to the school-based dental health screenings, outcome evaluations will include assessing the rate of missed appointments for students with high dmft/DMFT scores who were referred to dental care providers. The changes in the rate of dental caries will also be assessed. 3. With respect to the oral health education of expectant mothers by gynecologists, the outcome evaluations will include assessing the change in attitude and awareness among expectant mothers and the corresponding change in behavior to maintain good oral health for themselves and their infants. The rate of dental caries among children born to these mothers will also be assessed. References Linnan, L. & Steckler, A. (2002). Process evaluation for public health interventions and research. Retrieved from http://media. wiley. com/product_data/excerpt/ 66/07879597/0787959766. pdf The Health Foundation of Greater Cincinnati’s Evaluation Packet. (n. d.). Outcome evaluation. Retrieved from http://www. welbornfdn. org/Evaluation%20-%20Outcome. pdf