Process evaluation of the healthkick action planning process in disadvantaged schools in the Western Cape

Abstract

In this study a process evaluation of the action planning process of the HealthKick programme in disadvantaged primary school settings in the Western Cape was conducted. A qualitative methodology was adopted to best determine the experiences of the participants and the underlying factors involved. Four schools were randomly selected to participate. Four focus group discussions were conducted with educators, and four in-depth interviews were conducted with principals and champions at schools, (champions are either an educator or school governing body member selected to be the driver of the project at each school, as well as the liaison person between the school and the HealthKick project team). Semi-structured interview guides were used to steer the discussions. Interviews and focus groups were audio taped and transcribed verbatim. The data was thematically analysed with the assistance of Atlas ti computer software. The results of this study indicated that the action planning process did not take place as designed by the project team. Several challenges were identified and experienced by participants. The results further indicated that the challenges of time, workload and competing priorities were intrinsically linked. Positive experiences were also reported and various enablers to the process were identified, such as the facilitation process, the receipt of the resource toolkit as well as the complementary nature of the HealthKick curriculum to the normal academic curriculum.