Research protocol for impact assessment of a project to scale up food policies in the Pacific

Abstract

Background One of the challenges for countries implementing food policy measures has been the difficulty in demonstrating impact and retaining stakeholder support. Consequently, research funded to help countries overcome these challenges should assess impact and translation into practice, particularly in low-resource settings. However, there are still few attempts to prospectively, and comprehensively, assess research impact. This protocol describes a study co-created with project implementers, collaborative investigators and key stakeholders to optimize and monitor the impact of a research project on scaling up food policies in Fiji. Methods To develop this protocol, our team of researchers prospectively applied the Framework to Assess the Impact from Translational health research (FAIT). Activities included (i) developing a logic model to map the pathway to impact and establish domains of benefit; (ii) identifying process and impact indicators for each of these domains; (iii) identifying relevant data for impact indicators and a cost–consequence analysis; and (iv) establishing a process for collecting quantitative and qualitative data to measure progress. Impact assessment data will be collected between September 2022 and December 2024, through reports, routine monitoring activities, group discussions and semi-structured interviews with key implementers and stakeholders. The prospective application of the protocol, and interim and final research impact assessments of each project stream and the project as a whole, will optimize and enable robust measurement of research impact. Discussion By applying this protocol, we aim to increase understanding of pathways to impact and processes that need to be put in place to achieve this. This impact evaluation will inform future projects with a similar scope and will identify transferable and/or translatable lessons for other Pacific Island states and low- and middle-income countries.

Prospective policy analysis—a critical interpretive synthesis review

“…Others analysed policies on nanotechnology ( Kuzma and Priest, 2010 ), energy ( Collins et al , 2017 Grösser, 2013 ), economic governance ( Salder, 2020 ) and foreign policy ( Bing, 2017 ). The four study protocols that were retained in our review were similarly diverse, describing research on policies at the nexus of health and urban issues, such as physical activity ( Fathi et al ., 2021 ), food security ( Patay et al ., 2022 ) or sugar-sweetened beverage taxes ( Thow et al ., 2021 ). One of the four study protocols was outside the health domain—examining electric vehicle charging station policies ( Grisham, 2023 ).…”

“…Using the World Bank designations for fiscal year 2024 ( World Bank, 2023 ) and excluding the three articles that published a global level analysis, high-income economies were mentioned 15 times, upper-middle-income ones 8 times, lower-middle-income ones 12 times and low-income ones 5 times. The study protocols were all published since 2021, signalling that more PPA studies might be undertaken in the future ( Fathi et al ., 2021 ; Thow et al ., 2021 ; Patay et al ., 2022 ; Grisham, 2023 ).…”