EVALUATION OF AGELESS THANET:WELLBEING WORKSTREAM

Description of wellbeing workstream

The wellbeing workstream encompasses a diverse range of activities, delivered in community settings across Thanet, Kent. Activities typically ran in 10 week blocks, with the offer evolving over the 5 years to include popular options such as Tai Chi, Art, Swimming and Pottery, alongside more innovative ideas such as Stand-up Comedy, Belly Dancing and Vogue Chi. Activities were delivered by qualified tutors in diverse venues across Thanet. In the first 18 months of the project, activities were delivered in targeted areas (i.e., Ramsgate’s Eastcliff Ward and Margate Central Ward) and then expanded to cover all of Thanet.

Evaluation approach The overarching design of the evaluation is based on the RE-AIM framework (http://www.re-aim.org/). This framework facilitates collecting evidence of impact across a number of key dimensions (Reach, Efficacy, Adoption, Implementation and Maintenance), capturing impact on individual and process outcomes by utilising both quantitative (questionnaire) and qualitative (interviews/focus groups) methods.

Quantitative data were provided at the start and end of a wellbeing activity through completion of the Ageless Thanet questionnaire.

Qualitative date was collected from a wide range of sources, covering all stakeholders involved in the commissioning and delivery of the workstream. The evaluation team provided data through field notes, interviews and focus groups with participants and staff. This was augmented with a number of sources provided by the delivery partner Your Leisure and lead organisation SEK (e.g. Test and Learn reports, sustainability record, monthly updates, listening events and focus groups). Table 1 summarises the data analysed under each of the RE-AIM domains.