Ch.6: Mission Statements, Goals, and Objectives

The mission statement, goals, and objectives provide:

- A foundation for program planning - Direction for the program - A basis on which to evaluate the program

Healthy People 2020

_______________________ will guide U.S. public health practice and health education specialists through 2020

Program Goals

A broad statement that describes the expected outcome of the program

Impact Objectives

A category of objectives comprised of learning (i.e., awareness, knowledge, attitudes, and skills), behavioral, and environmental objectives; the observable effects of a program

1) Provides overall direction 2) Is more general 3) Has no deadline 4) Takes longer to complete 5) Is often not measured in exact terms

A goal is an expectation that:

1) Who will be affected 2) What will change as a result of the program

A goal should include 2 basic components:

Mission Statement

A short narrative that describes the purpose and focus of a program

Short-term Objectives

A time frame in which an outcome is "expected immediately and can occur soon after the program is implemented, very often within a year."

Environmental Objectives

An impact objective that describes how the environment (e.g., economic, emotional, physical, political, service, social) around the priority population will change; non behavioral causes of a health problem

Behavioral Objectives

An impact objective that describes the action/behavior in which the priority population will engage that will resolve the health problem and move toward achieving the program goal

Process Objectives

An objective that expresses the tasks or activities to be carried out (completed) by the program planners

adherence (e.g., regular exercise), compliance (e.g., taking medication as prescribed), consumption patterns (e.g., diet), coping (e.g., stress-reduction activities), prevention actions (e.g., brushing and flossing teeth), self-care (e.g., first aid), and utilization (e.g., appropriate use of the ER)

Behavioral Objectives are commonly written about...

Criterion

Determining when the outcome has been achieved, or how much change will occur; provides a standard by which the planners/evaluators can determine if an outcome has been performed in an appropriate and/or successful manner

Learning Objectives

Educational or learning tools needed in order to achieve the desired behavior change; a sub-category of impact objectives composed of 4 levels: awareness, knowledge, attitudes, and skills

The state of the physical environment (e.g., clean air or water, proximity to facilities, removal of physical barriers), the social environment (e.g., social support, peer pressure), the psychological environment (e.g., the emotional learning climate), the economic environment (e.g., affordability, incentives, disincentives), the service environment (e.g., access to health care, equity in health care), and/or the political environment (e.g., health policy)

Environmental objectives are written about such things as...

SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Time-Phased)

Every objective planners write must be SMART

- Process Objectives - Impact Objectives - Outcome Objectives

Hierarchy of Objectives

1. Must be aware of the health concern 2. Must expand their knowledge and understanding of the concern 3. Must attain and maintain an attitude that enables them to deal with concern 4. Need to possess the necessary skills to engage in the health enhancing behavior

If those in the priority population are going to adopt and maintain a health enhancing behavior to alleviate a health concern, they...

most important skill for planners

Knowing how to construct objectives for a program is a...

The reduction of risk, physiologic indicators, signs and symptoms, morbidity, disability, mortality, or quality of life measures

Outcome objectives are commonly written in terms of health status such as...

Objectives

Precise statements of intended outcomes written in measurable terms; represent smaller steps that lead to reaching goals

Program resources (materials, funds, space); appropriateness of intervention activities; priority population exposure, attendance, participation, and feedback; feedback from other stakeholders; and data collection techniques

Process Objectives focus on such things as:

Intermediate Objectives

Result from and follow short-term outcomes

Long-term Objectives

State the ultimate expected impact of the program

Outcome

The action, behavior, or something else that will change as a result of the program; identified as the verb of the sentence

Condition

The condition under which the outcome will be observed, or when it will be observed

Promoting Health/Preventing Disease: Objectives for the Nation

The first set of goals and objectives that were written to cover the 10-year period from 1980-1990 and were divided into 3 main areas: preventive services, health protection, and health promotion

The Health Agenda/Blueprint of Public Health Planning for the U.S.

The goals and objectives of the nation, and the primary component of the U.S. Healthy People initiative

serving as a blueprint for the nation's health agenda is evidenced by their widespread use

The importance of Healthy People initiative...

Outcome Objectives

The ultimate objectives of a program and are aimed at changes in health status, social benefits, risk factors, or quality of life

1. The outcome to be achieved, or what will change 2. The conditions under which the outcome will be observed, or when the change will occur 3. The criterion for deciding whether the outcome has been achieved, or how much change 4. The priority population, or who will change

To ensure that an objective is indeed useful, it should include the following elements:

True

True or False: A mission statement helps to develop goals and objectives

True

True or False: Formal reviews of these objectives are conducted both at midcourse half way through the 10-year period and again after the 10 years.

True

True or False: Impact Objectives form the groundwork for impact evaluation

True

True or False: Objectives can be thought of as the bridge between needs assessment and a planned intervention.

True

True or False: Process Objectives form the groundwork for process evaluation

- Learning Objectives - Behavioral Objectives - Environmental Objectives

Types of Impact Objectives

"WHO is going to do WHAT, WHEN, and TO WHAT EXTENT?"

Well written objectives will always answer this question

A mission statement provides a description of the current efforts of a program while a vision statement is a brief description of where the program will be in the future; typically 3 to 5 years

What is the difference between a mission statement and a vision statement?