title: Process evaluation of a walking programme delivered through the workplace in the South Pacific island Vanuatu.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The South Pacific region is experiencing significant rates of chronic diseases. Well-evaluated health promotion programmes are needed as a central piece of a strategic solution. Just as important as the evaluation itself is how that evaluation outcome can be communicated for future programme use by local programme planners. The objective of this study is to evaluate a physical activity (PA) programme that was designed for Pacific women in urban Vanuatu, and subsequently to develop new techniques to display data that support the understanding and communication of programme success and challenges.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data collection methods included quantitative Likert scale questions and qualitative open-ended questions. A new analysis technique visualises open-ended process evaluation data. We present themes using word sizes proportional to the frequency of the themes identified through thematic analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The Likert scale technique revealed little meaningful information; almost all participants rated most elements of the programme highly. This may be related to Pacific people being frequently inclined to assent with external ideas. Open-ended questions provided more significant insights. For example, we found a stronger change in eating habits (68.9%) than in exercise behaviour (28.2%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We present an evaluation of the first pedometer-based PA intervention in the Pacific and respond to the paucity of process evaluations that have been carried out in the context of low- and middle-income countries. Moreover, the new thematic data visualisation (TDV) approach may aid in understanding complex and cluttered data in a constructive and coordinated way; we present a new approach in health promotion research.
authors.affiliation: Human Potential Centre, Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences, Auckland University of Technology, Auckland, New Zealand katja.siefken@medicalschool-hamburg.de.
authors.forename: Katja
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Siefken
authors.affiliation: Human Potential Centre, Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences, Auckland University of Technology, Auckland, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Grant
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Schofield
authors.affiliation: Management Discipline Group, Business School, University of Technology, Sydney (UTS), Sydney, Australia.
authors.forename: Nico
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Schulenkorf
mesh_terms: D003906:Developing Countries; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005260:Female; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D010139:Pacific Islands; D010809:Physical Fitness / Q000502:physiology*; D015397:Program Evaluation; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D009514:Vanuatu; D016138:Walking / Q000502:physiology*; D017132:Workplace
keywords: evaluation; physical activity; research methods; workplace