Process of conducting a 5-a-Day intervention with high school students: Gimme 5 (Louisiana)

Gimme 5: A Fresh Nutrition Concept for Students (Gimme 5) was a 4-year inte rvention targeting increased fruit and vegetable consumption by high school students. Twelve schools were randomized to intervention or control condit ions. The cohort (2,213 students; 56% female, 84% Euro-American) were follo wed from 9th to 12th grade. Interventions were composed of a school-based m edia campaign, classroom workshops, school meal modification, and parental involvement. For each of the four Gimme 5 intervention components, process evaluation measures were developed to assess program dose, penetration, and utilization, as well as external competing factors. Process evaluation res ults are presented to illustrate the various functions of process evaluatio n data. These include, but are not limited to, describing program implement ation, quality control and monitoring, and explaining study outcomes. The i mplementation of process evaluation systems to complement the outcome measu res in a high school-based intervention provides useful strategies for a mo re comprehensive approach to program evaluation.