Process Evaluations
The Problem
There is currently a gap in the evidence base regarding the implementation and impact of a diverse range of real-world food system interventions that both improve diet and reduce carbon emissions. As such, it is vital to conduct Process Evaluations of the SALIENT trials to understand the impact of the interventions and how different stakeholders interact with them.
In this project, we will undertake Process Evaluations of the trial interventions to understand which food system interventions are effective, for whom, under what conditions, and why. By exploring the perspectives of both the implementers and the recipients of the interventions, we aim to enhance our understanding of the SALIENT interventions' effectiveness and identify ways to optimise future food system initiatives.
Process Evaluation
For each intervention, we aim to conduct semi-structured qualitative interviews or focus groups with approximately 20 participants to understand their experiences and perspectives on the intervention. We will purposively recruit three groups of a priori identified stakeholders:
- Intervention implementers: This group includes those responsible for intervention implementation and enacting food system and retail changes.
- Decision makers: This group includes those responsible for intervention design and programming. This may include senior executives/leaders and local site/organisation managers in community support organisations, worksites and businesses.
- Adult consumers: This group comprises the main recipients of the interventions.
Interviews or focus groups will be conducted online using Zoom or Microsoft Teams, by phone or in person. To generate comparable data across the wider set of interventions to inform the meta-evaluation, we have developed an interview topic guide that explores both individual experiences of the specific intervention and broader ‘core’ questions applicable to the Process Evaluations of all interventions. The specific questions for individual interventions will be informed by existing knowledge of the intervention and its theory of change. ‘Core’ questions are those which aim to understand how consumers interact with food systems and retail environments and how these might best be optimised to promote healthy and sustainable food choices.
The collected data will be used to generate narratives regarding implementation, design, acceptability, contextual influences on implementation success or failure, and broader perceptions of the intervention. This includes perceived impacts on diet and consumer satisfaction (positive and negative), the environment (e.g., food waste, environmental attitudes), and any wider secondary impacts (e.g., cost-of-living, wellbeing). Additionally, the data will illuminate how the interventions were developed, their rationale, design, scalability and their relation to wider organizational/corporate culture and activities related to improving diet and environmental sustainability. Data will be analysed using a General Inductive Approach.
Governance
Ethical approval has been received for the Process Evaluation studies. Data sharing agreements will be established between the Universities leading the interventions when necessary.
Timescales
Recruitment for the qualitative interviews/focus groups began in February 2024.
Team
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Steven Cummins
Co-investigator
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Bea Savory
Researcher
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Oliver Huse
Research fellow
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Claire Thompson
Co-investigator
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Laura Cornelsen
Co-investigator