Table 2 Designing interventions in group settings
From: Group interventions to improve health outcomes: a framework for their design and delivery
What is the intervention and what quantity will be delivered? |
   ○ The group itself as the intervention |
   ○ The group leader delivers the intervention |
   ○ The group as a vehicle for delivering the intervention to a wider population |
   ○ The group size, frequency, duration and lifetime |
How does someone become a group member? |
   ○ Are there gatekeepers and how do they operate |
   ○ Self or professional referral, with or without criteria |
   ○ Advertising: general or targeted |
   ○ Access to attend meetings: open (anyone can drop in and out of attending meetings); closed (membership registration on attendance, in advance or for a fixed period) |
   ○ Access during a group meeting: open (drop in and out); closed (fixed start and finish) |
   ○ Barriers, facilitators and entry rituals |
   ○ Incentives and costs (financial and non financial) - joining, recurring, optional, refundable |
What social and behaviour theories inform the intervention? |
   ○ Education: factual, tacit or experiential knowledge |
   ○ Support: for a specific behaviour, attitude or belief |
   ○ Cognitive approaches: to change thinking about a behaviour |
   ○ Performing a behaviour or activity |
   ○ Rewarding a behaviour or group attendance |
   ○ Competition between groups or group members |
How are the group influencing attitudes, beliefs and behaviours? For example: |
   ○ Social comparison theory |
   ○ Social support theory |
   ○ Social learning theory |
   ○ Social impact theory |
What are the outcomes? |
   ○ Initiate or sustain a desired behaviour |
   ○ Reduce, stop or prevent a relapse of an undesirable behaviour |
   ○ Substitute a desirable for an undesirable behaviour |
   ○ Change how an existing behaviour is enacted |
   ○ Change attitudes or beliefs which might predict or mediate a behaviour e.g. self-efficacy |
What is the target population for intervention delivery and outcome measurement? |
   ○ Who is targeted? People with specific behaviours, socio-demographic characteristics or diseases; from particular geographic areas or organisations |
   ○ Whose outcomes will be measured? Individual group attenders, pooled group outcomes, wider population |