Getting started: research in planning and evaluation

A sound starting point for a health promotion project is finding out more about the community, its needs and what has already been done about the identified issue or problem in the past or done elsewhere.

Begin by doing some research

What is research

It is useful to think of research as a search for answers to questions. Project planning and evaluation have different sets of questions to be answered. Effective planning and evaluation depend on using research processes and tools to collect information, in order to:

• decide which issue or problem the project will address (by conducting a needs assessment)
• find out what things cause the issue or problem (by analysing the chosen problem and conducting a literature search)
• determine how the project is going and how effective it is in meeting its goal and objectives (by collecting baseline data and planning the evaluation)

Research tools: ways to collect information

Research tools have technical names for activities which people often do naturally to find something out. The difference is that people 'doing research' are generally more systematic in the way they go about these activities. Some ways of gathering information include:

• observation: watching and listening to people as they go about the activities of a project or their daily lives; looking for any changes in the community over time
• participant observation: a special kind of observation where you participate in the project activities with the people you are observing ·
• surveys: using a questionnaire, which is a written list of questions, used to collect the data you need from people. Questionnaires can be used either in interviews or can be self-completed
• interviews: talking to people, either individually or in groups, usually using some form of questionnaire. Interviews can be done face-to-face or by telephone
• analysing routinely kept records: finding specific data in health centre records such as the number of people with diabetes or who smoke tobacco; analysing store turnover records for the amount of tobacco being sold over a year
• looking at other documents, such as: community profiles, reports written on previous projects or work in the community, records kept during a project that give information about participants (number attending and so on)
• doing a literature search to find out what people have written about a problem or issue

See 'Information Gathering Skills in Planning and Evaluation' later in this chapter

It is important to record information collected in relation to the project accurately and comprehensively.

Quantitative and qualitative data

Some of the data collected by the research tools listed above will be 'quantitative' and some will be 'qualitative'.

Quantitative data

Quantitative data are collected as numbers and amounts. These data can be counted, analysed statistically and used to compare with other quantitative data.

Examples:

• the number of people attending the education sessions: 40 people attended this week and 25 attended last week
• the number of people with diabetes: 20 people with diabetes in community X this year compared with five people ten years ago - an increase of 300 per cent (assuming the population has not changed)

Qualitative data

Qualitative data are collected as words. These data are descriptions that can include observations, beliefs, ideas, opinions, feelings, perceptions, experiences, and so on. The way the data are collected, recorded, and analysed (sorted, grouped and summarised) should be logical and systematic. Mathematical calculations cannot be done on qualitative information.

Examples:

• what people thought about an education session. 'People used the following words to describe the education session: well organised, good information, new information, well presented'
• what people believe about diabetes. 'People reported the following beliefs about diabetes: caused by bad food, caused by too much alcohol, caused by sitting down too much'

Both quantitative and qualitative data are valuable and complement each other. When used together, they give a more complete picture of the situation and provide valuable information for planning and evaluating a health promotion project.

The following Information Pyramid may be helpful for thinking about how data, information and knowledge are related.

Literature search

One important type of research is reading about the work that others have done and the ideas that other people have had, by reviewing the published literature (books, journals, and reports) which relates to the issue or problem that the project is addressing. It is likely that work has already been done in Australia and elsewhere on the issue or problem of interest.

Why do a literature search

Finding journal articles, books and reports on the issue or problem will help you to:

• save time by learning about what others have done about the issue or problem
• learn more about the underlying causes of the issue or problem
• discover more about the people most affected by the issue or problem
• find strategies which have been successfully used in the past to address the issue or problem
• learn how successful strategies might be applied to the local issue or problem
• locate research tools (for example, questionnaires) which have been used to collect baseline data or to evaluate similar projects
• be able to set a realistic goal and objectives for the project based on what is learnt about the success levels of similar projects

How to go about a literature search

		Get to know your Librarian and your library. The Librarians in Territory Health Services (THS) libraries in Darwin, Alice Springs, Katherine and Nhulunbuy are particularly aware of the needs of staff working in remote areas. Use the telephone to talk to them about your needs. Visit them when you are in town. Ask them for the necessary forms for conducting a literature search
		Decide what it is you need to know. What is the question? Be as specific as possible. It is helpful to the Librarians if you can discuss the project with them

You should aim to:

• describe your project in a sentence or short paragraph, for example: "We are planning a program to reduce smoking in Aboriginal males 17 years of age and younger in remote communities."
• identify all the concepts involved as keywords/subjects, for example: smoking: prevention: Aboriginals: males: adolescents: boys: remote communities
• specify the period of time you want the search to cover, for example, the last 5 years or the last 20 years
• let them know how quickly you need the information

Complete the request form for a literature search and forward it to the library. A computer printout will arrive from the library that lists relevant books, reports and journal articles relating to the topic, with titles, authors, source and often abstracts

		Study the printout, select relevant articles and complete the library photocopy request form. Only request essential articles. Visit the library if you can to copy articles from journals they have and to borrow relevant books and reports. If you cannot get to the library, they will send the material to you
		Read and analyse the materials. How relevant are they for the planning and evaluation of your project? Are there any other articles to follow-up from the reference lists in the articles and books?

Note: THS staff may have direct computer access to library databases through the THS Intranet. If you do have computer access, you will be able to conduct your own literature search. Library staff can assist you by phone to use the Intranet and to access the databases. However, you are encouraged to visit the library and request a training session when you are in town.