HLTH 5483 Module 2 Program Logic Model Example

From Classes to Independence: A Logic Model for a Senior Center Tai Chi Program for Older Adults With Knee Osteoarthritis

Student Name

American College of Education

HLTH5483: Health and Wellness Program Assessment and Evaluation

Module 2 Assignment

Instructor Name

October 12, 2026

Purpose of the Logic Model

The needs assessment in Module 1 found that most senior center members with arthritis in a composite county were far less active than national guidance recommends, largely because they feared pain and lacked suitable programs, and it prioritized a tai chi pilot at two centers. Before the pilot starts, the department needs a clear picture of how the program is supposed to work. A logic model provides that picture. A widely used foundation guide treats the logic model as a one-page map linking a program's resources, its activities and the results it hopes for connect to one another (W. K. Kellogg Foundation, 2004). Building one clarifies assumptions, guides implementation and, most important for this course, identifies what an evaluation should measure. This paper presents the logic model in narrative form, moving from left to right through its columns.

The Problem Statement

The model begins with the problem: among older adults who attend the county's senior centers, about 57% report arthritis, 44% say joint pain limits their activity and only 19% of those with arthritis meet aerobic activity guidance, compared with 34% of those without it. Fear of worsening pain, lack of arthritis-appropriate programs, cost and transportation are the main barriers. Low activity in turn contributes to stiffness, weakness, falls risk, social isolation and loss of independence. Arthritis is common nationally, affecting an estimated 21.2% of adults and concentrated among those aged 45 and older (Fallon et al., 2023).

Inputs

Inputs are the resources the program needs. They include two instructors certified in a standardized tai chi program adapted for arthritis; the multipurpose rooms at two centers, twice a week; the department's program coordinator, at about 20% time; volunteers to greet participants and help with transportation; the county's senior transportation service; a small budget for instructor fees, chairs with arms for seated modifications and printed materials in English and Spanish; referral relationships with local primary care physicians and physical therapists; and the needs assessment data and evaluation support from the health educator. Each input is necessary for the activities to happen as planned.

Activities

Activities are what the program does with its inputs. Participants attend 60-minute tai chi classes twice a week for 12 weeks, with a warm-up, slow movements taught in small steps, seated options for those who need them and a cool-down. Instructors teach participants to move within a pain-free range and to adjust movements to their joints. A short home practice card encourages ten minutes of practice on non-class days. Each session ends with a brief discussion of how participants are feeling and how they are applying what they learned. The program also includes outreach, such as presentations at center meals and flyers at physicians' offices, and a transportation arrangement for members without rides. One class at the center serving Spanish-speaking members is taught in Spanish.

Outputs

Outputs are what the activities produce, and they are usually expressed as counts. They include the number of 12-week sessions offered (two per center per year), the number of classes held (96 per year), the number of participants enrolled (target 60 per year), average attendance per participant (target 70% of classes), the number of home practice cards distributed and returned, the number of rides provided and the number of referrals received from clinicians. Outputs show whether the program was delivered as intended but do not by themselves show that anyone benefited.

Outcomes

Outcomes are the changes the program aims to produce, arranged over time. Short-term outcomes, expected by the end of 12 weeks, include increased confidence in the ability to exercise safely with arthritis, reduced fear that movement will cause harm, improved knowledge of how to adjust activity to joint pain and a regular habit of home practice. Medium-term outcomes, expected within six months, include reduced knee pain and stiffness, improved physical function, such as ease of rising from a chair and climbing stairs, improved balance, more minutes of weekly physical activity and improved mood. Long-term outcomes, expected over one to three years, include maintained independence in daily activities, fewer falls, greater social connection and lower use of pain medication. These outcomes are grounded in evidence: a trial with adults who had painful knee osteoarthritis found that three months of tai chi matched a standard physical therapy course on the main symptom score, kept its gains for a year and did more for mood (Wang et al., 2016).

The Theory of Change

The arrows in a logic model imply a theory of how change happens. Here, the theory draws on self-efficacy. Bandura (1977) argued that confidence in one's own capability strongly influences whether they attempt it and persist, and that successful experience is the most powerful way to build those beliefs. In this program, slow, adapted movements let participants succeed without pain, which builds confidence and reduces fear; greater confidence leads to regular class attendance and home practice; regular practice strengthens muscles, improves balance and reduces stiffness; improved function and less pain make daily activities easier; and over time these gains help preserve independence. The group setting adds social support, which may encourage attendance and improve mood.

Assumptions and External Factors

Every logic model rests on assumptions, and naming them shows where the chain might break. The model assumes that members with arthritis will enroll if the program is free, nearby and taught by instructors who understand arthritis; that most can safely participate with modifications; that results from a clinical trial will carry over to a community setting with different instructors and participants; and that 12 weeks is long enough to build a lasting habit. External factors outside the program's control include members' other health conditions, winter weather and illness seasons that reduce attendance, changes in transportation services and the availability of instructors. The evaluation should watch these assumptions and factors, for example by tracking reasons for dropping out.

Stakeholders' Role in the Model

A logic model is more useful when the people who run and use the program help build it. The health educator drafted this model with a small group: both center directors, one tai chi instructor, a trio of members living with knee arthritis and the physical therapist from the earlier interviews. Their input changed the model in concrete ways. Members insisted that social connection be listed as an outcome, because for many of them the chance to spend time with others was as important as pain relief. The instructor added home practice as an activity, noting that twice-weekly classes alone rarely build a lasting habit. The physical therapist asked that balance be listed as a separate outcome from function, since improvements in balance may reduce falls. The directors pointed out that transportation had to be an input, not an assumption, because without rides the members most in need could not attend. Building the model together also gave stakeholders a shared understanding of what the program is trying to achieve and what the evaluation will look for.

Using the Model for Evaluation

The logic model points directly to what the evaluation must measure. Inputs and activities call for a process evaluation: were instructors, rooms and transportation in place, and were classes delivered as designed? Outputs call for counts of classes, enrollment and attendance. Outcomes call for measures of confidence, fear, pain, function, balance and activity at the start and end of the 12 weeks and again at six months. The theory of change suggests testing whether changes in confidence precede changes in activity. Module 3 will turn these implications into evaluation questions, indicators and data sources.

References

Bandura, A. (1977). Self-efficacy: Toward a unifying theory of behavioral change. Psychological Review, 84(2), 191-215. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-295X.84.2.191

Fallon, E. A., Boring, M. A., Foster, A. L., Stowe, E. W., Lites, T. D., Odom, E. L., & Seth, P. (2023). Prevalence of diagnosed arthritis: United States, 2019-2021. MMWR. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 72(41), 1101-1107. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm7241a1

W. K. Kellogg Foundation. (2004). Logic model development guide. https://wkkf.issuelab.org/resource/logic-model-development-guide.html

Wang, C., Schmid, C. H., Iversen, M. D., Harvey, W. F., Fielding, R. A., Driban, J. B., Price, L. L., Wong, J. B., Reid, K. F., Rones, R., & McAlindon, T. (2016). Comparative effectiveness of tai chi versus physical therapy for knee osteoarthritis: A randomized trial. Annals of Internal Medicine, 165(2), 77-86. https://doi.org/10.7326/M15-2143