Writing SMART Objectives

Tools: The Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention (HDSP) Program Evaluation Guides are a series of evaluation technical assistance tools developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention, to assist in the evaluation of heart disease and stroke prevention activities within states.

The guides are intended to offer guidance, consistent definition of terms, and aid skill building on a wide range of general evaluation topics and selected specific topics. They were developed with the assumption that state health departments have varied experience with program evaluation and a range of resources allocated to program evaluation. In any case, these guides clarify approaches to and methods for evaluation, provide examples specific to the scope and purpose of the state HDSP programs, and recommend resources for additional reading. Some guides will be more applicable to evaluating capacity building activity and others more focused on interventions. Although examples provided in the guides are specific to HDSP programs, the information might also prove valuable to other state health department programs, especially
chronic disease programs.