Summary

In May 2020, the Commonwealth Department of Health engaged CIRCA and the Incus Group to undertake an evaluation of the EON Foundation’s Thriving Communities Program – a healthy lifestyle and disease prevention program focusing on the production of nutritious food and delivery of health and nutrition information to rural and remote communities. The core of the program involves building edible school gardens in remote Aboriginal communities, as a means of increasing the availability of affordable fresh fruit and vegetables, as well as offering lessons to children in the areas of gardening, cooking, nutrition and hygiene. The purpose of the evaluation was to conduct: 1) Process evaluation, 2) Outcome evaluation, 3) Economic evaluation (value for money), and 4) Strategic evaluation (to analyse and consider the relevance of the program in relation to the Commonwealth’s current and long-term strategic priorities).

CIRCA’s Research Approach

CIRCA led the development of an Evaluation Framework and Evaluation Plan to assess the Thriving Communities Program, which included developing a Logic Model, Indicator and Measure Matrix, and Data Collection tools. The Evaluation Framework and Plan were developed in consultation with the Department of Health and the EON Foundation.

CIRCA’s role was to lead the Process, Outcome, and Strategic evaluation streams. The Incus Group’s role was to lead the Economic evaluation.

The evaluation relied on data from the following sources: administrative data from the EON Foundation; survey data CIRCA collected from teachers and principals, community partners, and EON staff across 16 communities; 10 phone interviews CIRCA conducted with Community Assistants; and interviews and focus groups CIRCA conducted in two case study sites with children, their parents, and community stakeholders. All interviews and focus groups with Aboriginal peoples were facilitated by CIRCA’s Aboriginal Research Consultants – individuals who were local to the region or community.

Research Findings and Outcomes

We found that from a process perspective the program is structured well and is largely able to meet the needs of local Aboriginal communities and build healthy and meaningful relationships there. We found the program is having the biggest consistent impact on short-term outcomes for children, and most elusive is the program’s impact on adults and long-term outcomes, but this is also a function of time, scale, and measurement opportunity. We also found that the program, in monetary terms, is delivering significant value in each community. Finally, we found the Thriving Communities Program is both aligned to and working toward achieving the aims of relevant health guidelines within the prevailing Department of Health funding stream. The extent to which the program contributes to the goals to reduce chronic disease and close the gap among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples is affected, however, by the longevity of short-and medium-term outcomes for individuals. We put forward a number of recommendations for ways the program can be enhanced to build on its successes and realise greater outcomes and efficiencies.

EON Evaluation Summary

For a summary of the evaluation, see the evaluation fact sheet here:  https://www.circaresearch.com.au/wp-content/uploads/CIRCA_EONevaluation_PlainEnglishSummary_20220610.pdf