Evaluation Plan
Overview of the Program Model
Atherosclerosis is an artery condition that is the leading cause of around 50% of all fatalities in the Western world. Approximately 500,000 people in the United States get heart diseases each year. Cardiac diseases are a primary cause of deaths in the western world, killing more than 730,000 people every year. The primary risk factor for arteriosclerosis is obesity. With the obesity pandemic growing, it is necessary to develop a nationwide weight-loss management program that aims to reduce obesity cases, resulting in a reduction in numbers of cardiovascular diseases (Oshakbayev et al., 2015). For the weight-loss program, lowering arteriosclerosis requires efforts by patients, families, and healthcare practitioners. The primary stakeholders involved in this evaluation are state and local health departments, physician associations, legislators, policymakers, and advocacy groups.
The expected outcomes of the weight-loss program are reducing the progression of arteriosclerosis in the short-term by reducing plague build-up in the arteries, therefore improving the living standards of those patients already affected. The long-term goal of the program is to eliminating arteriosclerosis leading to a reduction in cardiovascular fatalities. Various activities may be employed to obtain participation among the target group. These activities include funding, collaborations and partnerships, outreach, health communication training, and service delivery (Pedersen et al., 2015). These activities aim to engage the obese patients and their families in training on preparing nutritiously balanced meals and engaging in physical activities to lose weight. The program will also be involved in outreach and screening of children and adults who are obese and are at risk of arteriosclerosis. Those individuals found with the illness are engaged in referral to medical care and enrolment into the program.
Some essential resources required from the program are supervisory staff, trained staff community relationships, legal authority, and organizations offering medical care. Currently, the program is at its planning stage. The program is expected to be implemented in the next two years. In the broader environment that the program exists, some contextual issues may be opportunities or roadblocks to the program. Examples of these contextual issues include interagency support, funding, competing organizations, politics, and social and economic conditions. An understanding of the program’s context allows proper interpretation and assessment of findings.
Data Collection
The telephone interview method of data collection will be employed for the collection of data required for the determination of the outcomes to be measured. The interviews will be conducted on program participants, program staff, funders, representatives of advocacy groups, and local and state health officials. The telephone data collection method will be selected as it is a rapid method of data collection; it offers easy supervision of interviewers, making it less expensive (Lavinghouze & Snyder, 2013). The data collection will be conducted at the end of the program to evaluate the expected outcomes. Various measures will be undertaken to ensure that the data collected is reliable, valid, and informative. These measures include the proper design of the data collection design, the training of data collectors, and the adequate selection of data sources.
Data Analysis and Results
After appropriate data has been collected, it will be tabulated, summarized, and compared with other relevant information, and presented in a simplified manner. The data will be analyzed against program standards of performance. These standards of performance will be used to judge program performance (Lavinghouze & Snyder, 2013). They reflect the values of stakeholders about the program. Possible performance standards might be the program’s mission and objectives, protocols and procedures, performance of the control group, and performance by similar programs.
Results from the data analysis will be presented in graphical methods. This will reflect the progress of the program from start to finish. The graphs indicate patient demographics like age and gender and the corresponding effect of weight loss on arteriosclerosis (Lavinghouze & Snyder, 2013). Data for the control group will also be presented in graphical form, highlighting the difference between the exposed and the unexposed group. The entire program will be presented in a report that will be forwarded to the relevant authorities for review.
References
Lavinghouze, S., & Snyder, K. (2013). Developing Your Evaluation Plans: A Critical Component of Public Health Program Infrastructure. American Journal Of Health Education, 44(4), 237-243. doi: 10.1080/19325037.2013.798216
Oshakbayev, K., Dukenbayeva, B., Otarbayev, N., Togizbayeva, G., Tabynbayev, N., & Gazaliyeva, M. et al. (2015). Weight loss therapy for clinical management of patients with some atherosclerotic diseases: a randomized clinical trial. Nutrition Journal, 14(1). doi: 10.1186/s12937-015-0108-y
Pedersen, L., Olsen, R., Walzem, R., Haugaard, S., & Prescott, E. (2015). Weight Loss Is Superior to Exercise in Improving the Atherogenic Lipid Profile in an Overweight, Sedentary Population With Coronary Artery Disease: The Randomized Cut-It Trial. Journal Of The American College Of Cardiology, 65(10), A1490. doi: 10.1016/s0735-1097(15)61490-5