ABSTRACT
Introduction: Process evaluation of community
based projects is integral to understanding the
success or failure of health promotion interven-
tions. Process evaluation was used to assess
the intervention strategies and resources in a
playgroup setting aimed at mothers of young
children. Methods: Process evaluation data were
collected from participants (n = 249) and staff (n
= 25) involved in the intervention. Data included
staff perspectives on use of the playgroup as a
setting, participants’ views on the feasibility and
acceptability of the program strategies and re-
sources, and program reach. Results: Respond-
ing participants reported that the intervention
was useful (98%) and relevant for their age group
(92%), encouraged them to think about making
changes to their physical activity (95%) and di-
etary (98%) behaviors, and helped them to make
changes to their physical activity (66%) and di-
etary (79%) behaviors. Participants reported that
the most useful intervention strategies included
the program booklet (85%), workshops (86%),
newsletters (73%) and SMS (57%). Conclusion:
This research provides valuable information on
participants’ perspectives of the program strat-
egies, content and overall implementation. It
provides insight into the feasibility and accep-
tability of the intervention and identifies areas
for improvement when conducting programs in
playgroup settings. The process evaluation in-
dicated that playgroups are a suitable setting for
health promotion targeting mothers of young
children.