Identifying and using indicators to assess program effectiveness: Food intake, biomarkers, and nutritional evaluation

Young, Alyson (author)
Marten, Meredith (author)
Chrzan, Janet (editor)
Brett, John (editor)

Food Health: Nutrition, Technology and Public Health

42

53

2017

2017 Janet Chrzan and John Brett

Accurate information about dietary determinants and behaviors of people in special populations is necessary for nutrition policy and effective nutrition intervention programs. The utility of an evaluation depends on its ability to provide reliable, reproducible, and timely information for making the needed decisions. Program evaluations fall into two general categories: (1) evaluations to improve an ongoing program and (2) evaluations to assess the impact of a program. Ongoing program evaluations are commonly referred to as "formative evaluations," while the impact assessments are called "summative evaluations" (see Sahn, Lockwood, and Scrimshaw 1984; Habicht, Pelto, and Lapp 2009; and Rossi and Freeman 1999 for guides to developing evaluation strategies). Whether data is being used for improvement or impact assessment, monitoring and evaluation requires appropriate indicacors for the establishment of population baselines for the characteristic under consideration as well as follow-up evaluation. The indicators identified in chis chapter can be used for both estimating population baselines and assessing the impact of nutritional interventions (examples of nutritional program effectiveness assessments include Berri et al. 2004; Penny et al., 2005; Gibson 2011; Gunaratna et al. 2010; and Massee et al. 2012).