Monitoring and evaluation of physical activity interventions in the primary care network of Pernambuco

Resumo

The aim of this study was to analyze the elements that characterize monitoring and evaluation (M&E) in physical activity interventions developed in the primary care network in the state of Pernambuco, Brazil. A statewide cross-sectional study was carried out in 104 cities, and questionnaires were used to collect data from managers, professionals, and users of the interventions. Among the managers, the following variables were analyzed: presence and frequency of M&E actions; participation of users and professionals; use of M&E results in planning; type of instrument that was used; level of importance attributed to M&E actions; and perception of barriers and of professionals’ level of technical competence to develop M&E actions. The professionals provided information about their level of knowledge and skills to perform M&E, and the users reported the frequency of their participation in M&E actions. Among the 145 managers who were interviewed, 82.4% referred performing M&E actions. This proportion was not significantly different comparing the types of interventions that were evaluated. Only 47.6% of the managers used M&E results to support planning. Among the 481 professionals who were interviewed, only 21.6% reported a high or very high level of knowledge about M&E actions. Among the 942 users, 44% reported that they had never participated in M&E actions. Although most of the managers reported performing M&E actions, less than half used M&E results to support planning. Furthermore, we found a low proportion of professionals with adequate levels of technical competence to develop M&E actions and a low participation of users in these actions.