Specific Aims

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Specific Aims
Program Planning
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Need direction?

• If you do not know where you are going, then any
  road will doand you may end up someplace where
  you do not want to be, or you may eventually end
  up where you want to be, but after wasted time
  and effort.
• If you do not know where you are going, how will
  you know when you have arrived?

Specific Aims
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A note on Specific Aims

• Developed programs normally have mission
  statements that offer a focus for the program.
  Some grant proposals will require the use of the
  term specific aims that provide general
  direction for a project.
• Sometimes referred to as a program overview or
  program aim, a mission statement is a short
  narrative that describes the general focus of the
  program.

Specific Aims
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Three components
Mission Statement or Specific Aim
Program Goals
Objectives
Specific Aims
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Mission Statement

• a public declaration of organizational beliefs,
  values, aspirations, and position, and it sets an
  attitudinal posture aimed at success
• Describes the intent of the program and may
  reflect the philosophy behind it
• Helps to guide planners in the development of
  program goals and objectives

Specific Aims
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Examples of Mission Statements

• The mission of he Walkup Health Promotion Program
  is to provide a wide variety of primary
  prevention activities for residents of the
  community.
• This program is aimed at helping patients and
  their families to understand and cope with
  physical and emotional changes associated with
  recovery following cancer surgery.

Specific Aims
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Program Goals

• a future event toward which a committed endeavor
  is directed
• a broad timeless statement of a long-range
  program purpose
• general statements of intent
• State who will be affected and what will change
• Use words such as improve, increase, promote,
  protect, minimize, prevent, and reduce

Specific Aims
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Examples of Program Goals

• To reduce the incidence of cardiovascular disease
  in the employees of the Smith Company.
• The survival rate of breast cancer patients will
  be increased through the optimal use of community
  resources.
• To prevent the spread of HIV in the youth of
  Indiana.

Specific Aims
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Objectives

• Steps to be taken in pursuit of a goal
• Outline in measurable terms the specific changes
  that will occur in the priority population at a
  given point in time as a result of exposure to
  the program
• The bridge between needs assessment and a planned
  intervention

Specific Aims
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Different Levels of Objectives

• Process/Administrative
• daily tasks, activities, and work plans
• Learning
• awareness, knowledge, attitude, and skill
  development/acquisition
• Action/Behavioral
• adherence, compliance, consumption patterns,
  coping, preventative actions, self-care, and
  utilization
• Environmental
• social, physical, psychological
• Outcome/Program
• health status, social benefits, risk factors, or
  quality of life

Specific Aims
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Elements of an Objective

• Outcome (What)
• Defined as action, behavior, or something else
  that will change
• as a result of the program
• apply, argue, build, compare, demonstrate,
  evaluate, exhibit,
• judge, perform, reduce, spend, state, and test
• Conditions (By when)
• upon completion, as a result, by (timeframe),
  after, following,
• when (asked), during
• Criterion (How much)
• When outcome has been achieved, or how much
  change will occur
• with, as presented, according to, , using the
  technique
• Priority Population (Who)
• Who will change
• , all, those

Specific Aims
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Examples of Objectives

• Who will experience how much of what change by
  when?
• One year after the formal exercise classes have
  been completed, 40 of those who completed 80 of
  the classes will still be involved in a regular
  aerobic exercise program.
• By the year 2010, heart disease deaths will be
  reduced to no more than 100 per 100,000 in the
  residents of Franklin county.

Specific Aims