USING PROCESS DATA TO EXPLAIN OUTCOMES - AN ILLUSTRATION FROM THE CHILD AND ADOLESCENT TRIAL FOR CARDIOVASCULAR HEALTH (CATCH)

The purpose of this article is to illustrate the use of process evalua tion for understanding study outcomes. Data from the Child and Adolesc ent Trial for Cardiovascular Health (CATCH), a large school-based fiel d trial, are used. Teacher characteristics, measures of classroom curr iculum implementation, and competing influences are linked to changes in dietary knowledge, intentions, and self-efficacy of students in the intervention schools. Multiple regression analyses indicate that teac her characteristics did not predict program implementation. Teacher ch aracteristics and program fidelity, or the number of modifications mad e to the classroom curriculum during implementation, had direct and in dependent effects on student outcomes.