Move & Improve: A Worksite Wellness Program in Maine

Details

• Journal Article:
  Preventing Chronic Disease (PCD)
• Personal Author:
  Polacsek, Michele ; O’Brien, Liam M ; Lagasse, Wendie ; Hammar, Nicole
• Description:
  Background ; We describe the evaluation process and outcomes of Move & Improve, a worksite wellness program in Maine. The evaluation process was based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Framework for Program Evaluation in Public Health and community-based participatory research principles. Innovative approaches are required to address burgeoning chronic disease trends and risk factors. Worksites are an ideal setting in which to affect working adults and high-risk individuals. Using community-based participatory research methodology increases community capacity for evaluation, dissemination, and use of evaluation results. ; Context ; Move & Improve is an ongoing program that was implemented in 1996. Although evaluation data have been collected since the program's inception, a more systematic evaluation based on community-based participatory research principles was undertaken in 2003 and 2004 with the technical assistance of the Maine–Harvard Prevention Research Center and Colby College. ; Methods ; The Maine–Harvard Prevention Research Center facilitated the development of a program logic model, evaluation questions, data collection instruments, an analysis plan, presentations, and reports. We used a cross-sectional study design with nonparticipant comparison groups. ; Consequences ; Data indicate possible program improvement strategies and substantial improvements in lifestyle factors among participants. ; Interpretation ; Limitations of the evaluation include participant self-selection, cross-sectional study design, a lack of adequate resources for evaluation, and the challenges of using community-based participatory research methods. Despite these limitations, Move & Improve program staff consider the evaluation of the program a success and have learned ways to improve the program and future evaluation efforts. Overall satisfaction with the process has been nurtured through community-based participatory research methods. This approach also enabled us to meet key evaluation standards.
• Subjects:
  • Exercise
  • Health Promotion
  • Humans
  • Maine
  • Motor Activity
  • Physical Fitness
• Source:
  Prev Chronic Dis. 2006; 3(3).
• Series:
  Community Case Study
• ISSN:
  1545-1151
• Document Type:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Maine
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  3
• Issue:
  3
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/20037/cdc_20037_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 203.22 KB]
• Collection(s):
  Preventing Chronic Disease
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:0a968bf9e0057326eeb9a725b942d12216ee992635ee05a94b48b08e54804f6dc178d6026b0477f744c6f0b2da6dad882df27566d3b20480b9ae5881b93a76d5