Evaluation of the Winnunga Nimmityjah Aboriginal Health and Community Services ‘Healthy Weight Program’

The Winnunga Nimmityjah Aboriginal Health and Community Services (AHCS) has been implementing the Healthy Weight Program for two years. The Healthy Weight Program has been delivered in the context of a comprehensive primary health care model. The Program provides clients with group-based physical activity, dietary advice, health information, and complementary health and wellbeing supports. The Program is funded by a Healthy Canberra Grant and is due to end in late 2018. An external evaluation has been commissioned by Winnunga AHCS and is funded as part of the Grant. The evaluation will assess the effectiveness of the program (i.e., outcome evaluation) and the implementation of the Healthy Weight Program (i.e., process evaluation). The evaluation has the following five objectives:
1. To identify successful (effective) elements of the Healthy Weight Program.
2. To identify elements of the Healthy Weight Program that could be made more effective.
3. To characterise the extent of client participation in the Healthy Weight Program.
4. To assess the effectiveness of the Healthy Weight Program in terms of reductions in body mass index, waist circumference and cardiometabolic risk and with consideration to the level of client participation.
5. To work collaboratively with the Winnunga AHCS to ensure the meaningful translation of findings.
A mixed-method non-experimental evaluation, guided by a program logic framework, is proposed. A participatory approach will be taken where the evaluators will work closely with Winnunga AHCS staff to ensure the evaluation questions are relevant and the methods and data collection processes are culturally safe.