The Mood Walks Evaluation Tool measures two types of outcomes:
- Whether your organization is delivering Mood Walks according to plan (i.e., the process)
- The impact of your walking group on participants (i.e., outcomes)
Process Evaluation
Process evaluation looks at how a group operates compared with the manner in which the group was intended to operate. Our evaluation plan gathers information about the following:
- How many participants attended the group
- How frequently the group met
- Where the group walked
- What program activities were carried out
- Whether partners and volunteers were part of the group
Outcome Evaluation
Outcome evaluation provides a picture of the results or effectiveness of a group in achieving its intended goals. Here are some of the outcomes measured:
- Any changes in participants’ mood, energy level, and anxiety level after walking
- Changes (hopefully, improvements) in participants’ overall health
- Changes in participants’ knowledge, attitudes, and behaviour related to walking
- Whether participants achieved their goals for participating in the group
We are collecting two types of data in order to measure these outcomes: quantitative and qualitative.
Quantitative Data
Quantitative data pertains to things you can count and measure. The participants’ questionnaire results and mood, energy, and anxiety ratings are some examples of quantitative data we are collecting.
You may wish to gather other types of quantitative data by taking pre- and post-program measurements such as:
- Weight
- Waist circumference
- Resting heart rate
- Blood pressure
Gathering these physical measurements is helpful for getting an idea where participants are at the start of your walking group (their baseline) and then measuring any changes that occur as they participate.
Qualitative Data
In contrast to quantitative data, qualitative data is rich and descriptive and contributes to an in-depth understanding of an individual’s experience. With our evaluation tools we gather qualitative data about participants through observation, discussion, and focus groups.
