HSYP805: Disease Prevention and Health Promotion Program Evaluation

This report presents a comprehensive evaluation of a health promotion program designed to address the increasing prevalence of anxiety and depression disorders among adolescents in Australia. The program aims to promote mental health and a healthy workforce, focusing on socially and econo...Read More

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Disease Prevention and Health Ppromotion Program Evaluation
Name
Department
College/University
Avenue
Street
Address

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Program Overview
The prevalence of anxiety and depression disorders among adolescents is increasing in
Australia[1]. The program of Encouraging the youth to seek help for depression and anxiety is
aimed at increasing mental health of Australians and to promote a strong, viable, and healthy
workforce vital for the economic propensity of the federation. Furthermore, the program is in
line with the realization that encouraging people to seek help and the subsequent treatment of
anxiety and depression disorders have intrinsic benefits both to the individuals and society at
large leading to instant and long-term gains in economy and productivity[2]. Being mentally
stable, the overall community of Australia is destined to lead a long life and possibly become the
best nation in universal health coverage[4]. The program will be funded for a period of three years
from 2019-2020 to 2021-2022. Target audiences include adolescents and adults who are socially
and economically disadvantaged. A number of approaches will be used targeted at various
interventions within the context of mental health inequalities. The goal of these approaches will
be to reduce anxiety and depression disorders thus promoting a healthy adolescent population by
2022. The initiative will be delivered through hospitals, dispensaries, educational institutional
facilities, and community based social initiatives. Also, the program will make use of websites
and social media taking the form of cookies notifications, posts, and chats. As a result, the
program will incorporate all the three types of evaluation: the impact, process, and outcome
evaluation[3]. An outline of what will happen during the evaluation of the program is presented in
figure1. The figure is a logic model documenting the linkages between the activities of the
program, impacts, and the results/outcome.

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Figure 1: Underlying Logic Model Plan for Depression and anxiety mitigation (Source: Author)

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Preview of Evaluation
Stakeholders
The program will involve advisory partners, volunteers, heads of institutions, hospitals, and the
community[5].
Purpose of evaluation
The purpose of program evaluation will be to comprehensively and effectively implement,
coordinate, and disseminate the evaluation of the project. The objective of the evaluation will
include:
1. To assess the degree to which the initiatives of the program have been implemented;
2. To evaluate the outcomes and effects of the program as well as providing a holistic
analysis of the findings;
3. To provide contribution and support towards quality evaluation plan among the
stakeholders as well as generating evidence for various interventions; and
4. To increase the awareness among Australian adolescents on anxiety and depression
Vital Questions
To address the objectives of the program evaluation, various evaluation questions will be
formulated as indicated in table 1.

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Table 1: Key questions for anxiety and depression encouragement evaluation plan
Evaluation Type Focus Evaluation Questions
Process  Investigating delivery
of program. Assess
the process of
program
implementation and
how it is
implemented
 Is the implementation of the
program following the plan?
 To what level are
participants satisfied?
 What methods were
employed and were they
acceptable?
 What types of resources got
used
 What encouragement
techniques were used and
were they appropriate?
Impact  Change produced by
the program on
adolescents.
 Behavior of people
after the reception of
the program
 Was the program effective
in producing intended
goals?
 Does the program meet its
aims and objectives?
 How did the target group
behave on receiving the
encouragement?
Outcome Long-term changes impacted  To what extent does

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by the program. morbidity and mobility
reduced by the program?
 What unintended impacts
did it produce?
 To what extent do the
change relate to the program
 What specific characteristics
of the program brought a
difference?
Future
implications of
the program
Focuses on whether to
continue with the program or
not and which areas should
be improved upon
 Should the program be
developed more/continued?
 What areas can be improved
upon in the future?
 How will the impacts of the
program be sustained?
 Will the program require
addition of resources?
Evaluation resources

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There are various resources for funding the evaluation including economic resources, capital, and
political resources[7]: Below is a list of most important resources for the evaluation:
1. Funding from non-governmental organizations- this will be used for data collection and
impact evaluation
2. Mobilization from the state to ensure facilitation of various interventions so that impact
collection and outcome are realized.
3. Political resource providing the atmosphere and environment for program evaluation
Data Sources and Evaluation Design
The evaluation of the program will use two main evaluation methods: Impact/outcome
evaluation and process evaluation.
Process evaluation
The main process evaluation methods will be reviewed. Besides, the evaluation of important
documents will be done in order to assess the extent to which the program activities highlighted
in figure 1 are implemented. Also, data collected will be assessed in a bid to measure program
reach. Program reach refers to the number of key settings, stakeholders, community members,
and partners affected by the program[8]. Measuring of some reach aspects such as attendance of
program will be done at the outcome/impact evaluation. Furthermore, other aspects found at the
process evaluation constitute appropriateness and quality of the undertaken processes during
implementation.
Tools for data collection/sources of data for process evaluation

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Key tools include program management records, progress reports, and evaluation plans[15].
Besides, process evaluation will also involve other qualitative methods like surveys, focus
groups, observations, and interviews. Also, program reach will be obtained from records of
attendance or online access for the internet based platforms[6]. The stakeholder documents will be
documented by project manager. Table 2 represents reach and output indicators to be considered
in the process evaluation.
Table 2: Activities, reach indicators, and outputs for process evaluation
Activities Reach/output indicators
Establishing program administrative and
governance arrangements
 Contract will implementers of the program
 Program advisory body established
 Evaluators are contracted
Establishment of reporting and
performance monitoring arrangements
 Identification of program milestones
 Key program indicators identified for
effective reporting and monitoring
Identification of efficient and effective
interventions
 Reviewing evidence
 Selections of interventions
Developing integrated depression and
anxiety action and promotion
implementation plans
 Conducting and reporting community
assessment
 Plans of action finalized
Program change  Range and number of stakeholders
Strengthening adolescents and
community
 Range and number of stakeholders
Adolescent education and development Number and range of involved stakeholders

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of skills
Social marketing and communication  Reviewing evidences of effective social
marketing
 Important marketing methods. For example,
internet, telephones, media, and newspaper
 Materials for marketing developed
 Implementations of campaigns in target areas
 Funding for social marketing
Anxiety and depressions prevention.
Example, screening and assessments to
risk of anxiety and depression
 Target group who participate in the activities of
the program
Community and individual development  Range and number of involved stakeholders
Impact/outcome evaluation
Since the program does not involve the whole Australia, the evaluation method will take a
comparison of the participating adolescents and control youths from another state who did not
receive the depressions and anxiety intervention. Individual changes/impacts will also be
measured before and after the intervention. Besides, a sample of adolescents will be selected
randomly. The determination of sample size will be done by the evaluator(s), albeit the sample
should aim at achieving a meaningful change in behavior as compared to the control group of
adolescents. Furthermore, attention will be given to the attainment of appropriate follow-up and
response thus ensuring that maximum valid results are gathered. Methods for measuring the level
of impacts on individuals include questionnaires and mental assessment, behavior of the study

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group, depression and anxiety literacy as well as the quality of life both before and after
intervention for both the groups under comparison[13]. Methods for assessing changes in the
program, adolescents, and community include program tools and audits used to assess capacity
building and strength of partnerships and workshops. These measures are done at the community
level, settings, partnerships, and selected individuals. Key indicators for impact and outcome
evaluation are illustrated in table 3. Besides, the table also contains data sources and tools for
data collection.
Potential risks

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The table below shows the potential risks associated with the evaluation and how to manage
them
Table 4: Potential risks
Likelihood × Consequence =Risk rating
Data Collection and Coordination

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Data will be collected through online surveys, questionnaires, and interviews. The determination
of responsibilities, timelines, and tasks will be done jointly by the program evaluator and
manager.
Data Analysis and Interpretation
The determination of the analysis of responsibilities, timelines, and tasks as well as data will be
done by the program evaluator. Besides, the analysis will involve both qualitative and
quantitative analysis of data generated both online and print-outs. Furthermore, graphs, tables,
and charts will be used to show program implementation, development, and timeframes for
evaluation.
Dissemination, reporting, and the use of evaluation findings
The preparation of the final report will include the following:
 Executive summary stating key issues
 Background of program describing program history, purpose, strategies, structure, and
characteristics
 Evaluation background describing reference terms, focus, and purpose of the program
 Logic section which documents the logic of the program
 Evaluation methodology describing and justifying methods
 Data analysis
 Findings
 Conclusions
 Recommendations

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The report will be of high quality providing the basis for the preparation of audience reports,
summary reports, and paper for publication.
Dissemination of the results of evaluation
Various dissemination methods will be used such as providing technical reports, summary
reports for various groups including stakeholders[11]. Also, dissemination will be done through
face-to-face presentation as well as publication in scholarly articles or peer-reviewed journals
supported by relevant departments[12] .
Program Encouragement Sustainability Plan
To effectively sustain the program, a number of initiatives will be used. First, there will be
provision of education to all stakeholders both from the community level till key stakeholders.
Also, there will be the use of program assessment sustainability tools to help with the
programming and maintenance of the benefits of the program over a long time[14]. Furthermore,
the dependence on one funding source will be reduced to minimize chances of total failure.
Lastly, there will be pre and post-testing of the methods of data collection to reduce the
prevalence of error[10].
Reflection
As part of class project, we were assigned tasks to complete concerning health programs.
Besides, the chosen topic was to be any health issue that impedes the growth of Australia. As
such, I chose and was to build on the topic of anxiety and depression and present a successful
program by involving and teaching Australians. Through the program, I have learned that many
adolescents as well as adults silently suffer from depression and anxiety related disorders. Also, I
learned of the importance of community collaboration as a way of solving health problems.

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Among the key elements for the success of any project/program are good communication,
management, and the use of appropriate mechanisms and channels proportional to the study
groups. With the advancement in technology, every project designer and evaluator must make
use of modern forms of communications like the social media and websites.
Moreover, effective communication should ensure that people of all walks of life feel free and
comfortable towards sharing information and ideas. I have also learned some interpersonal skills
needed of a leader related to social, economic, and political attributes such as race, gender, sex,
age, and class both political and economic. Furthermore, each member is required to be flexible
with others ideas and situations to make every project become a success. From the lessons
learned, I would make a bold step in ensuring that Australia becomes an anxiety and depression
free nation. Besides, I would form an organization for encouraging all Australians; youth and old
alike to seek help for anxiety and depression disorders so that we will have a mentally healthy
population in the future.
References

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1. Stasiak K, Fleming T, Lucassen MF, Shepherd MJ, Whittaker R, Merry SN. Computer-
based and online therapy for depression and anxiety in children and adolescents. Journal
of child and adolescent psychopharmacology. 2016 Apr 1;26(3):235-45:
doi.org/10.1089/cap.2015.0029
2. Chisholm D, Sweeny K, Sheehan P, Rasmussen B, Smit F, Cuijpers P et al. Scaling-up
treatment of depression and anxiety: a global return on investment analysis. The Lancet
Psychiatry. 2016; 3(5):415-424:doi.org/10.1016/S2215-0366 (16)30024-4
3. Issel LM, Wells R. Health program planning and evaluation. Jones & Bartlett Learning;
2017 Aug 4.
4. Lee YY, Barendregt JJ, Stockings EA, Ferrari AJ, Whiteford HA, Patton GA,
Mihalopoulos C. The population cost-effectiveness of delivering universal and indicated
school-based interventions to prevent the onset of major depression among youth in
Australia. Epidemiology and psychiatric sciences. 2017 Oct;26(5):545-64.
5. Lyon ME, Jacobs S, Briggs L, Cheng YI, Wang J. A longitudinal, randomized, controlled
trial of advance care planning for teens with cancer: anxiety, depression, quality of life,
advance directives, spirituality. Journal of Adolescent Health. 2014 Jun 1;54(6):710-7:
doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2013.10.206
6. Korda H, Itani Z. Harnessing social media for health promotion and behavior change.
Health promotion practice. 2013 Jan;14(1):15-23: doi.org/10.1177/1524839911405850
7. Frieden TR. Six components necessary for effective public health program
implementation. American journal of public health. 2014 Jan;104(1):17-22.

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8. Moore G, Audrey S, Barker M, Bond L, Bonell C, Cooper C, Hardeman W, Moore L,
O'Cathain A, Tinati T, Wight D. Process evaluation in complex public health intervention
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9. Yardley L, Morrison L, Bradbury K, Muller I. The person-based approach to intervention
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10. Luke DA, Calhoun A, Robichaux CB, Elliott MB, Moreland-Russell S. Peer reviewed:
the program sustainability assessment tool: a new instrument for public health programs.
Preventing Chronic Disease. 2014;11: doi: 10.5888/pcd11.130184
11. Grembowski D. The practice of health program evaluation. Sage Publications; 2015 Sep
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12. Brownson RC, Baker EA, Deshpande AD, Gillespie KN. Evidence-based public health.
Oxford University Press; 2017 Jun 15.
13. Issel LM, Wells R. Health program planning and evaluation. Jones & Bartlett Learning;
2017 Aug 4.
14. Waas T, Hugé J, Block T, Wright T, Benitez-Capistros F, Verbruggen A. Sustainability
assessment and indicators: Tools in a decision-making strategy for sustainable
development. Sustainability. 2014 Sep;6(9):5512-34: doi.org/10.3390/su6095512
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Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass & Pfeiffer Imprints, Wiley; 2015 Aug 6.

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Appendix
Self-Evaluation

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