Lindsey Arthur

Surakshya Karki
LaToya Parker
Section 1: Conceptualization of Evaluation
The proposed evaluation will be a formative, process evaluation due to the programs
relatively short period of existence. It will serve to determine if the HealthyU weight
management program is being delivered as intended, describe the nature of implementation and
facilitation, define successes and barriers encountered, and to examine the experience of the
program by facilitators and participants. The evaluation will also take into consideration and
examine the current extent of the short-term outcomes achieved of the program among
participants. The evaluation will provide the HealthyUNCG staff with information about how to
change activities to improve the quality of the program delivery and to increase the likelihood
that program objectives will be achieved.
The key stakeholders in the evaluation include: HealthyUNCG staff, HealthyUNCG
Advisory Board, UNCG health coaches, current HealthyU participants, and future HealthyU
participants. The contextual factors that need to be considered are location, funding, budget, and
staff size. HealthyUNCG is a university funded employee wellness program with a tight budget.
It is staffed by one, full-time employee and two, part-time graduate assistants. Majority of the
programs are facilitated by the graduate assistants. With ongoing budget cuts, it is imperative that
HealthyUNCG prove its utility by providing programs that are effective in meeting the needs of
the universitys employees.
The broad questions that will be addressed by the evaluation are as follows:
1. Is the program being implemented as planned?
2. What changes (if any) have been made in implementation? Facilitation?
3. What is currently working in the program?
4. What barriers threaten the programs success?
5. What revisions are needed?
The following is assumed about the program and evaluation needs:
1. Program goals and priority information needs are well defined.
2. Program objectives are plausible. There is some likelihood the objectives can be
achieved: given the programs logic model/theory, the characteristics of the intended
target audience, the knowledge and skills of program deliverers, and the resources
provided.
3. Access to performance data can be obtained. The pre-post surveys and Wheel of Life
Satisfaction, attendance sheets, and weekly goal sheets will be provided to evaluators,
as well as the agreeance among the HealthyUNCG staff, types of health coaches, and
participants to complete interviews.
4. HealthyUNCG staff and Advisory Board have agreed on how they intend to use the
evaluation.
Section 2: Program Description
1. What is the overall purpose of the program?
HealthyUNCG, UNCGs employee wellness program, is targeting the rising overweight and
obesity epidemic through the HealthyU program. HealthyU is a 12-week, free weight

management program developed and facilitated by HealthyUNCG for UNCG employees. The
program alternates between educational sessions and health coaching sessions each week.
HealthyUNCG partners with UNCG Health Coaching Programs, UNCGs health coaching team,
to offer coaching services to HealthyU participants. HealthyU participants are randomly assigned
by the HealthyUNCG staff to either group health coaching or individual health coaching. The
purpose of HealthyU is to provide UNCG employees with basic health and nutritional
information in a supportive environment, in which they can feel comfortable sharing their
experiences, successes, and struggles in terms of weight loss amongst others who are
experiencing similar issues.
2. What are the program goals and objectives?
To promote behavior change through nutrition, physical activity, and general overall health
education
To provide support and accountability through health coaching
3. Who is the target audience?
The target audience includes UNCG faculty and staff.
4. Where is the program intended to be implemented?
The program is intended to be implemented on Wednesdays from 12pm-1pm in the Elliott
University Center.
5. Has the program undergone previous evaluations? If so, what were the results?
The program has not undergone any previous formal evaluations.
The logic model demonstrates the HealthyU program (Figure 1). The model is intended
to be read from left to right. The first objective of HealthyU is to promote behavior change
through nutrition, physical activity, and general overall health education. HealthyUNCG offers
six bi-weekly educational sessions, which all participants are encouraged to meet. Due to
HealthyUNCGs limited staff, the sessions have to be capped at 15 participants. On average, 1015 participants continue with 12 week long program. The educational sessions are facilitated by
HealthyUNCGs two Graduate Assistants. The educational sessions focus on a variety of topics,
such as: the importance of tracking, physical activity, healthful dietary habits, stress
management, and moods and emotions.
During the first and last educational sessions, participants measurements (waist and hip
circumferences, blood pressure, and weight) are measured and recorded. Weigh-ins and blood
pressure readings are offered at every bi-weekly educational session. Participants set personal
goals at each bi-weekly educational session as well. Short-term outcomes include an increased
awareness of: waist and hip circumferences, blood pressure, and weight. Medium/long-term
outcomes include: decreased waist and hip circumferences (measured in inches); reduced
systolic and diastolic pressures; and decreased or maintained weight.
The bi-weekly goals set by participants are reinforced during the bi-weekly coaching
weeks, which are discussed further on. Participants learn how to set SMART (Specific,
Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Timely) goals. Their knowledge of how to set realistic goals

and skill in completing this is increased. The medium/long-term goal is an increase in the
practice of this skill.
The tracking educational sessions focus on the importance of tracking and highlight
how critical it is to track food intake and physical activity, in regards to losing weight. Online
tools (MyFitnessPal, SuperTracker, etc.) and paper-and-pencil based tools (printed food and
activity trackers) are introduced to participants. Short-term outcomes include: increased
awareness of tracking and types of tracking and increased skill in tracking. The medium/longterm outcome is an increased practice of tracking food and exercise.
The physical activity educational sessions provide participants with the knowledge of
the benefits of physical activity, the recommended guidelines, the different types, and strategies
to incorporate physical activity into daily life. The concept of NEAT (/Non-Exercise Activity
Thermogenesis) movement and how adding this type of movement to everyday life can help
increase calorie expenditure is introduced and encouraged. Other physical activity sessions
include: resistance band training, chair yoga, and functional exercises. Short-term outcomes
include: increased awareness of physical activity benefits; increased knowledge of physical
activity guidelines; increased knowledge of physical activity types; increased skill of NEAT
movement into daily life; increased attitude toward physical activity; and increased motivation to
exercise. Medium/long-term outcomes include: increased amount of physical activity and
increased practice in NEAT movement.
The dietary habits educational sessions teach participants about the dietary guidelines,
the different food groups, what the different parts of a nutrition label mean, and how to read
ingredients labels. The MyPlate Method is introduced and participants are taught how to properly
set up their plates. Various activities throughout the different sessions allow participants to
practice reading nutrition and ingredients labels and how to make the healthier choice. These
sessions also focus on healthy, easy swaps that can be made while cooking at home or dining out.
Short-term outcomes include: increased knowledge of dietary guidelines; increased knowledge
of food groups; increased knowledge of nutrition labels and ingredients labels; increased skill in
making healthier food choices; and increased self-efficacy in eating healthier. Medium/long-term
outcomes include: increased fruit, vegetable, and whole grain consumption; decreased processed,
high-fat, and sugary food consumption; and increased practice in making healthier food
decisions.
The stress management/mood and emotions sessions educate participants on how stress
affects the body, how to cope with stress through mindful practice techniques, and various
strategies for reducing stress in life. The sessions on mood and emotion explain to participants
how integral these two are in meeting weight loss goals. The importance of having a solid
support system is also emphasized. Short-term outcomes include: increased awareness of
stressors; increased knowledge of the negative effects of stress on the body; increased skill in
stress management strategies; increased self-efficacy in reducing perceived stress level; and
increased awareness of moods and emotions effect on food choices. Medium/long-term goals
include: increased practice in stress management strategies and increased control of mood and
behavior on influencing food selection.
The second objective of HealthyU is to provide participants with support and
accountability through health coaching. HealthyUNCG has a collaboration with UNCG Health
Coaching Programs and utilizes their certified health coaches. UNCG Health Coaching Programs
also trains the two HealthyUNCG Graduate Assistants in health coaching, so that they can
individually and group health coach. The participants are randomly assigned by the

HealthyUNCG staff to receive either group or individual health coaching. The health coaching
sessions, regardless of the type, are held bi-weekly. Through these bi-weekly sessions
participants who were randomly assigned individual coaching, work one-on-one with a coach to
reinforce goals that were set during the educational sessions, as well as overall life satisfaction.
Those who were randomly assigned group coaching, also meet bi-weekly and work within the
group setting that is facilitated by the two HealthyUNCG Graduate Assistants to reinforce the
goals that were set during educational sessions, as well as overall life satisfaction. Health
coaching sessions increase social support and accountability, both in the individual groups and
group settings, through letting others know their goals, struggles, and successes. The participants
are encouraged to practice self-reflection and as a result, self-discovery occurs. Through selfdiscovery participants learn the importance of intrinsic motivation and how they are the most
important person when it comes to meeting their goal. Short-term goals include: increased social
support; increased motivation, increased self-efficacy; increased accountability; and increased
skill of self-discovery. Medium/long-term goals include: improved practice of self-reflection and
increased practice of taking control over of ones own life.
Section 3: Evaluation Plan
HealthyUNCG uses simple random sampling to obtain participants in the HealthyU
program. E-mails to the HealthyUNCG listserv and marketing efforts on the HealthyUNCG
website and offices are utilized to recruit from the employee population at UNCG to join. This
provides every UNCG faculty and staff member an equal possibility of registering and
participating before the program reaches its maximum allotment.
HealthyU is designed as a randomized control trial (RCT). This type of scientific
experiment ensures that participants of the program are randomly assigned to either the control
group (group health coaching) or the treatment group (individual health coaching). Due to
HealthyU being a RCT, HealthyUNCG had to submit an IRB and receive approval. Participants
of the program are informed of their involvement in the study prior to starting the program.
A crosswalk of the proposed evaluation has been provided below (Figure 2). The specific
evaluation questions and data sources have been identified. The first variable that will be
measured is the nature of implementation and facilitation. The instrumentation used to collect the
data will be the attendance sheet, participant weekly goal sheets, participant weigh-in sheets,
formal observations conducted by the evaluation team, and interviews with the facilitators of the
educational sessions and the HealthyUNCG staff. The attendance sheet, participant weekly goal
sheets, and participant weigh-in sheets will answer the question did the participants receive the
program? The interviews with the HealthyUNCG staff and the facilitators of the educational
sessions will be used to determine the fidelity of deliverance of the program, along with formal
observations by the evaluation team to examine where discrepancies may lie. The interviews will
be relatively short in duration and will work to answer the question was each educational
session facilitated like intended?
The second variable that will be measured are the successes and barriers encountered
with implementation HealthyU educational sessions. The instrumentation used to collect the data
will be the interviews with the facilitators of the educational sessions and the HealthyUNCG
staff. The interviews will answer the questions what were the successes in implementing the
educational sessions? and what were the barriers in implementing the educational sessions?
Areas that will be covered during the interviews will be: time, budget, program planning, space,
equipment, participant outreach, participant retention, etc.

The third variable that will be measured is the experience of facilitation of the
educational sessions. The instrumentation used to collect the data will be the interviews with the
facilitators of the educational sessions and the attendance sheet. The interviews will ask about the
perceived experience of the facilitators. Topics that will be addressed during the interviews will
be: participation rate, participant receptiveness to topics covered, challenges faced, etc.
The fourth variable that will be measured is the experience of the participants who
received the educational sessions. The instrumentation used to collect the data will be the
attendance sheet, participant weekly goal sheets, participant weigh-in sheets, and participant
interviews. The attendance sheet will, weekly goal sheets, and weigh-in sheets will be used to
determine if the amount of sessions attended affected the individuals experience with the
program. The interviews with the HealthyU participants will cover the areas of: likes, dislikes,
usefulness, accomplishments, and challenges; as well as if there was an increase in knowledge,
attitude, motivation, self-efficacy, and skill set in each topic area of the educational sessions and
an increase in overall social support and accountability.
The fifth variable that will be measured are the successes and barriers encountered with
implementation of the health coaching piece of the program. The instrumentation used to collect
the data will be the interviews with the HealthyUNCG staff, individual health coaches, and group
health coaches. The interviews will address: time, budget, process of incorporating the piece into
the HealthyU program, space, equipment, amount of coaches, process of random assignment, etc.
The sixth variable that will be measured is the experience of facilitation of the individual
health coaching sessions and the group health coaching sessions. The instrumentation used to
collect the data will be the interviews with the individual health coaches and the group health
coaches. These interviews will work to determine which type of health coach had a higher
success rate, what the likes and dislikes were, and changes that could be made.
The last variable that will be measured is the method of health coaching that had a higher
success rate. The instrumentation used to collect the data will be the pre-post surveys, the prepost Wheel of Life Satisfaction (WOL) tools, and interviews with the participants. The pre-post
survey measures changes among participants and also distinguishes which type of health
coaching they received. The pre-post WOL measures participants satisfaction levels in nine
areas of life. The tool is given to both individually health coached and group health coached
participants. The interviews with the participants will also separate the two groups and ask
questions about the health coaching experience and its effects on the individuals behavior
change.
Section 4: Reporting Plan
The final report will be drafted for HealthyUNCG. It will be distributed electronically. A
meeting will be conducted the following day where the evaluator will go over the evaluation
with the program. The program will be given 30 days to make any recommendations and
changes to the report. A meeting with the HealthyUNCG staff will occur on the 15th day of the
30 day grace period to answer any questions that the program may have about the report. Once
the 30 day period is over, the evaluator will review the changes and recommendations to adjust
the report based on the importance and changeability of the requests. The team will request a 14
day time frame from the HealthyUNCG staff to complete the updates and changes. An electronic
copy of the final report will be provided to HealthyUNCG at the end of the timespan. The
evaluator will provide the HealthyUNCG staff with a bound, printed copy of the final report.

The evaluator and the HealthyUNCG staff have agreed to publicize the evaluation. Therefore,
a copy of the report and an executive summary will be provided on both teams websites. A onepage brief of the report will be provided in print to the participants of HealthyU to ensure that
they are informed about the evaluation findings.

Goals/Objectives
1. Promote behavior
change through
nutrition, physical
activity, and general
overall health
education

2. Provide support and

accountability
through health
coaching

Activities
Conduct bi-weekly weigh-ins
Develop goals bi-weekly
(participants)

Measure and record waist and

hip circumferences (inches) on
Week 1
Measure and record baseline
blood pressure on Week 1
Measure and record final waist
and hip circumferences (inches)
on Week 12
Measure and record final blood
pressure on Week 12
Deliver tracking educational
session
Deliver physical activity
educational sessions
Deliver dietary habits
educational sessions
Deliver stress
management/mood and
emotions educational sessions

Provide health coaching biweekly

Outputs
Participant

Short-term Outcomes
Increased awareness of

baseline and final

data (waist and
hip
circumference,
blood pressure,
and weight)
6 bi-weekly
educational
sessions
facilitated with
10-15 participants
reached

waist and hip

circumferences
Increased awareness of
blood pressure
Increased awareness of
weight
Increased knowledge of
how to set SMART goals
Increased skill in goal
setting
Increased awareness of
tracking and types of
tracking
Increased skill in tracking

Increased awareness of
physical activity benefits

Increased knowledge of

physical activity guidelines

Increased knowledge of
physical activity types
Increased skill in adding
physical activity into daily
life
Improved attitude toward
physical activity
Increased motivation to
exercise
Increased knowledge of
dietary guidelines
Increased knowledge of
food groups
Increased knowledge of
nutrition labels/ingredients
labels
Increased skill in making
healthier food choices
Increased self-efficacy in
eating healthier
Increased awareness of
stressors
Increased knowledge of the
negative effects of stress on
the body
Increased skill in stress
management strategies
Increased self-efficacy in
reducing perceived stress
level
Increased awareness of
moods and emotions effect
on food choices

Group coaching
Individual
coaching

Increased social support

Increased motivation
Increased self-efficacy
Increased accountability
Increased skill of selfdiscovery

Logic Model
Figure 1

What was the experience like in facilitating the individual health coaching
sessions?

What was the experience like in facilitating the group health coaching
sessions?

HealthyUNCG Staff
Interviews
X

Formal Observations

Group Coach
Interviews

Individual Coach
Interviews

Participant
Interviews

Facilitator Interviews
(Educational Sessions)

Weigh-in Sheets

Data Sources

Weekly Goal Sheets

Attendance Sheet

Pre-Post WOL

Pre-Post Survey

Crosswalk

Process Evaluation
Was the tracking educational session facilitated like intended?
Were the dietary educational sessions facilitated like intended?
Were the physical activity educational sessions facilitated like intended?
Were the stress management/moods and emotions educational sessions
facilitated like intended?
Did the participants receive the program?

What were the successes in implementing the educational sessions?

What were the barriers in implementing the educational sessions?
What was the experience like in facilitating the educational sessions?

What were the barriers in implementing the health coaching piece?

Which method of health coaching had a higher rating of satisfaction

(individual or group)?

X
X

What were the successes in implementing the health coaching piece?

What was the experience like in receiving the educational sessions?

X
X

Figure 2

Type of Expenditure

Amount Budgeted

Time Devoted to Project

Staff

$4850

5 months

Evaluator

$2000

5 months

Lead on evaluation

Public Health Professional

$1250

4 months

To provide the evaluator feedback on his/her practices as they relate to public health

Graduate Assistants (2)

$600

1 month

Gather necessary documents towards evaluation

Statistician

$1000

4 months

Assess data for evaluator

Materials and Supplies

$1400

5 months

Office Supplies

$200

5 months

Pens, paper, and printing materials

Publication Cost

$1000

1 month

Cost of publishing evaluation final report

Food & beverages

$200

3 months

3 Meetings each month

Equipment

$2,600

5 months

Cost of Internet/Phone Service

$100

5 months

Cost of having a landline phone each month for the duration of the project.

Computers/Phones

$2000

5 months

Initial cost of purchase

Software for computer

$200

5 months

Cost of using variety of software for the project example: NVivo, SPSS

Room Reservation

$300

3 months

3 meetings each month

Total Expenses

$8,850

5 months

Detailed Budget
Figure 3

Notes

Detailed Timeline
Months
Activity
Formal
observations of
educational
sessions
Interviews with
HealthyUNCG
staff about
successes and
barriers with
implementation
of educational
sessions and
health coaching
Interviews with
facilitators about
experience
Interviews with
individual and
group health
coaches
Interviews with
HealthyU
participants
Develop final
report draft
Meeting with
HealthyUNCG
staff about
findings
Meeting during
the grace period
with
HealthyUNCG
staff
Adjust report
Provide
HealthyUNCG
with electronic
and printed
versions of final
report
Publicize
evaluation on
website and
distribute onepage brief

January 2016
2
3

February 2016
6
7
8

March 2016
10
11

12

13

April 2016
14
15

16

17

May 2016
18
19

20

Figure 4