Skip to main content
Public Health Workforce Training
Link to beginning section of Advanced Program Evaluation

Research Design 3

ShapeTracker Intervention Stakeholders

  • Commissioner Middleton County (MC)
  • Middleton County (MC) Health Department (HD) ShapeTracker (ST) team
  • MC HD Information Technology staff
  • MC HD marketing/communications staff
  • Other MC HD staff
  • CDC
  • Group that developed ST for CDC
  • MC community members
  • Wellness advocates in MC
  • Obesity prevention programs in MC
  • Healthy eating related resources in MC
  • Exercise resources in MC
  • Smartphone providers in MC
  • California communities that implemented ST
  • Smartphone companies
  • MC government

Logic Model

Inputs Activities Outputs Short-term Outcomes Intermediate Outcomes Long-term Outcomes
ShapeTracker App Mobilize local resources and customize ST for MC # of times ST app downloaded in MC Decrease perceived barriers to healthy eating and physical activity Increase healthy eating in MC Reduce obesity in MC
Funding from HD and CDC Market ST in MC # of MC residents actively using ST Increase self-monitoring of healthy eating and physical activity Increase physical activity in MC Reduce obesity related health problems in MC
Team of experienced staff Keep app updated and maintain content Amount of use for different ST functions Increase self-efficacy for healthy eating and physical activity    
High smart phone use in MC community Provide technical assistance to users User satisfaction with ST Increase social supprt for healthy eating and physical activity    
Marketing & communication resources in HD   # of friends referred to ST      
IT resources in HD   # of MC residents actively using ST long-term      
Local obesity prevention resources in MC          

ShapeTracker Intervention Evaluation Questions

Process Questions
  1. Was a broad range of local resources successfully engaged in the project?
  2. Was ST successfully disseminated to a broad segment of MC community?
  3. What proportion of MC residents have:
    • downloaded the app?
    • became active users of the app?
    • became active long-term users of the app?
  4. For those who stopped using ST, why did they discontinue?
  5. How much are ST users using different functions in ST?
  6. How satisfied are MC residents with the ST app and its specific features?
Outcome Questions
  1. Does use of ST increase:
    • self-monitoring of healthy eating and physical activity?
    • self-efficacy for healthy eating and physical activity?
    • social support for healthy eating and physical activity?
  2. Does ST decrease perceived barriers to healthy eating and physical activity?
  3. Does use of ST increase healthy eating and physical activity among county residents?
  4. Does use of ST lead to lower BMI among those who are obese or overweight?
  5. Does use of ST help those with normal BMI prevent overweight?

The evaluation questions we have chosen to address in our evaluation plan.

Here is another example for you to record using the notation system.

Middleton county has 12 census tracts. Four are urban, four are suburban and four are rural. We will randomly assign half of the census tracts to the intervention. Residents living in the selected tracts will be invited to participate in the ShapeTracker program. Residents from other tracts will be told that ShapeTracker will be available to them in 2 years. In addition to email surveys of ShapeTracker users, a county-wide survey including measures of physical activity, healthy eating and self-monitoring will be conducted before ShapeTracker launch and 12 months after the launch.

Please use the notation system to depict the evaluation design.

Instructions: Click on a gray space to enter a value, then click on a notation of your selection. You can change your notation by clicking on the space again. Note that all the gray spaces must be filled, so to leave a space blank you must select the blank space notation.

You've not begun your notation exercise. Please try again.

You are not done with your notation. Please note that all the gray spaces must be filled, and that a blank space is considered a notation.

That's the correct answer. Congratulations!

Your notation is incorrect. You can see the answer key or change your notation.

Answer key:

The correct notation is:

R
O
X
O
R
O
 
O

You can hover your cursor over the notation to see the corresponding grid in the exercise.

We have two rows because two groups based on census tracts are compared. We need an R because there is random assignment. This kind of design is called cluster-randomized design because clusters (census tracts) are randomly assigned