Have you ever heard the saying "too much of a good thing can be a bad thing"? Often, evaluators make the mistake of accepting information from anyone willing to participate in a survey. Not only is too much data difficult to manage, but when you are willing to accept any data, the quality of the data comes into question. It is important to find a balance between the quantity and quality of data. You need enough data to complete the evaluation, but you want to be selective enough so that the data you collect is representative of your sample population and is reliable.

Consider the following scenario:

You have been asked to help evaluate a nutrition program for former collegiate athletes following their final active season. The athletes are presented with the nutrition program and counselled for the semester following their final active season. You are asked to evaluate the effectiveness of the program over the following year and determine if enough quality data is collected. In addition, the college administrators have also asked you to review a survey that is very short and easy to complete. (See the "Nutrition Program Pre/Post Questionnaire" listed under the Week 3 Learning Resources.)

You must also help determine how a sample of students will be selected to represent the over 100 athletes across 8 different sports that are completing their final season of play. You need to consider how to balance the quality and quantity of the data in the data sampling.

• Describe the strengths and limitations of the provided data collection instrument for gathering data you need to evaluate the program in the scenario provided.
• Explain whether the instrument is an appropriate fit for the sample population and why.
• Explain whether the survey instrument generates a sufficient quantity of quality data for conducting a program evaluation for the program and why.

Be sure to support your postings and responses with specific references to the Learning Resources.

• McKenzie, J. F., Neiger, B. L., & Thackeray, R. (2023).Health promotion programs: Planning, implementing, and evaluating(8th ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones and Bartlett Learning.
  • Chapter 5, "Measurement and Sampling," pp. 97-127
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2017). A framework for program evaluation.Links to an external site.http://www.cdc.gov/eval/framework/index.htm
• National Center for Health Statistics. (2018). Surveys and data collection systemsLinks to an external site.. Retrieved fromh