Impact and outcome evaluations both measure change. The kind of data you will collect and the information you will look for will depend on what the project is trying to do or change - it must match the project goal and objectives. Some examples of the type of things that can be measured for impact and outcome evaluations are:
How people behave
For example:
- what people buy from the store
- how many people smoke tobacco (males, females, ages)
- how many people drink alcohol unsafely (males, females, ages)
- how many people throw rubbish on the ground
What people know
For example:
- which foods are low in sugar
- the link between unsafe sex and STDs
- what smoking tobacco does to the body
- how alcohol affects diabetes
How ill people are (morbidity) and how many people die (mortality)
For example:
- how many and who has diabetes
- how many and who has died from heart disease
- how many babies are not growing well
- how many and who has respiratory problems
What people believe and feel about themselves, an issue or other people
For example:
- what people believe about how much control they have over their lives
- what people believe causes illness
- what people feel about participating in a health promotion project
- what people feel about others who drink a lot of alcohol
How people participate in community life and activities (community participation)
For example:
- numbers of people participating in community meetings
- people talking about their community and planning together
- levels of participation in cultural and sporting activities
- people working together to sustain a project in the longer term
How people live, work and play
For example:
- what proportion of the population has a safe and functional home
- number of people who have meaningful, paid employment
- policies in place to protect health ('No Smoking' policy in the council offices)
- access to recreational facilities (oval, basketball court, art/craft activities)
There are many ways to gather information that will help the project team evaluate the project. It is important that the team is very clear about:
Methods of collecting information are described in the sections 'Research tools: ways to collect information', 'Documenting the project' and 'Information gathering tools in planning and evaluation'.