Introduction

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between exercise and type 2 Diabetes among the pregnant women in the aboriginal population of Saskatchewan. This is a relatively recent study in that it took place in 2003. The prenatal exercise program was an off shoot of a larger study into prenatal gestational diabetes mellitus.(GDM) The initial study was restricted to pregnant aboriginal women with previous GDM.

Interested parties

Parties that have a vested interest in the study outcome include the funding agency National Health Research and Development Program. The Aboriginal community at large and the participants in the study will also have an interest in the outcome. While not identified as a party to the study the Saskatoon district health region should be very interested in the possible benefits to the general health of this group.

Process

The exercise program was developed to accommodate the expectant mothers in the study group. The possible study participants were surveyed to ascertain what features would be important to the target group of women. The location chosen was centrally located. The study included a cultural component that was considered in the development of the exercise program. The study was voluntary and free of charge and open to all pregnant aboriginal women in the city. They were required to have a medical release that that showed they were medically fit to participate. The three pages that were presented go into great detail on the mechanics of the study but omits any mention of results.

Recommendations

This study has identified a serious issue that needs to be pursued. However it fails to explain the continued need in terms of the study results.

This opportunity to advance physical fitness and lifelong learning should continue as a community health program.

This study included a cultural and social component that allowed the participants to develop a support network.

Conclusion

This study as it was seems to be missing several elements. There are no results of the initial study that explain the need to broaden the scope. There needs to be some published results of this study in order to determine if the program is beneficial to the participants. This study needs to justify the original funding and it has not done so with the information that was provided. The addition of the exercise class is not a part of the original study but does not seem to take anything away from it. The additional participants probably enhanced the experience for the original study participants.

References

Klomp, H., Dyck, R., and Sheppard, S. (2003). Description and evaluation of a prenatal exercise program for urban Aboriginal women. Canadian Journal of Diabetes, 27: 231–238.

Review of

Results of the evaluation of a School-Based For The Prevention Of Substance use Among Adolescents

            This Program evaluation is a results based evaluation of the study. The Program named EU-DAP stands for European Drug Addiction Prevention Trial . The purpose of the study is to assess the effectiveness of the ongoing program. The study was funded by the European Commission within the Community Public Health programme in 2002. This is a school based program that is used to reduce drug abuse in school aged children. This evaluation relies solely on statistical results as the evidence of meeting program goals and objectives.

            The premise of this study is that smoking, alcohol and drugs all share a common addition mechanism. Treating one addition or substitution of different addicting substances defeats the purpose. This study treats the age group early adolescents for addictive practices instead of treating one substance abuse at a time. The study included data from seven countries, nine regional centres,143 schools and involved a sample that included over 7000 students as participants. This is a very large experimental study to manage. 

            This program was evaluated using an Outcome Based Evaluation Method. The main objective of the study was to break the cycle of addictive behaviors that are prevalent in the study group. The artifact produced is 28 pages long and does an adequate job of covering the material contained in the study. This Method of Program evaluation is appropriate for this study the end result is the most important goal in this instance. The researchers acknowledge several issues with the results Such as the cluster effect when class and social position may skew the result in homogeneous areas. The process was not what the program sponsor were interested in. How you get to the end result is minor although it was a monumental task. This process is as open as the studies research team can make it. This is a necessity as the data is being collected from schools and about children.

            There are 7 pages of charts and tables. These are necessary to help understand the results of such a massive study. The tables break down the results into useable bits of information. The statistics are impressive but alone do not provide evidence of support or failure of the premise.

            500 words is not enough to adequately review this evaluation this is a very in-depth study with an overabundance of experimental evidence. This evaluation does an excellent job of summarizing the study. The material is clear and well written with a good understanding of the results and the method used. According to the summary there is some evidence that the program works with alcohol and cannabis. The study does not present conclusive evidence of the original thesis. There is enough evidence from similar studies in the United States and the preliminary results on this study to continue with the longer term portion of this study.

             This Program Evaluation is available to the public on line at http://www.eudap.net/pdf/FinalReport2.pdf

References

http://www.eudap.net/pdf/FinalReport2.pdf retrieved 12/1/2012