For those interested in learning more about the development of the Hydration Heroes Nutrition Education Program, here is a brief overview of the process involved with the development of the program and prominent questions relating to the “complete and acceptable delivery” of the program.

Program Logic Model

This logic model serves as the expected outcomes we developed when creating the Hydration Heroes Nutrition Education Program. As you can see, this program has been thoroughly developed to grow in prominence and produce significant results.

INPUTS	ACTIVITIES	OUTPUTS	Short Term Outcomes	Intermediate-Term Outcomes	Long Term Outcomes
Program team develops the “Hydration Heroes” program.	Develop curriculum for synchronous online training program lessons and asynchronous resources for the program.	An initial group of 20 athletic trainers and sports physiotherapists (AT’s and SP’s) take the inaugural “Hydration Heroes” program.	The inaugural group of AT’s and SP’s increase knowledge of how to support athlete hydration to improve performance and prevent health issues.	AT’s and SP’s who completed the “Hydration Heroes” program improve the athletic performance of the athletes they work with and prevent health issues relating to hydration.	Athletic trainers, sports physiotherapists, personal trainers, coaches, and related fitness personnel learn about the benefits of the “Hydration Heroes” program, and participation rates increase.
Program team launches the “Hydration Heroes” program.	The program team implements the program, educates AT’s and other fitness personnel on supporting athlete hydration, and tests athletes who work with these individuals for hydration status.	Twenty athletic trainers and sports physiotherapists complete the 8-week “Hydration Heroes” training program.	Twenty athletic trainers and sports physiotherapists begin advising athletes on proper hydration habits.	Athletes who work with AT’s and SP’s that completed the program demonstrate decreased rates of dehydration or hypohydration when entering training sessions and competitions.	Rates of muscle cramping, fatigue, lightheadedness, fainting, and additional health problems are statistically significantly lower in athletes who work with AT’s and SP’s that completed the “Hydration Heroes” program.
Program team trains athletic trainers and sports physiotherapists with the “Hydration Heroes” training program and utilizes a “before and after” test to determine knowledge increases in AT’s and SP’s.	AT’s and SP’s spend 8-weeks learning from the “Hydration Heroes” training program.	AT’s and SP’s complete 8-weeks of educational training on how to support athlete hydration.	AT’s and SP’s demonstrate statistically significant increases in knowledge on how to support athlete hydration adequately.	Athletes who work with AT and SP’s who completed the training program notice improved recovery from training, improved energy during training, and increased general energy and mood.	Athletes who work with the athletic trainers and sports physiotherapists that completed the training program demonstrate improved athletic performance and better competition results due to improved hydration habits.

Program Format

The Hydration Heroes Nutrition Education Program will begin with a pilot testing program that educates twenty athletic trainers or sports physiotherapists over eight weeks. Prior to beginning the pilot testing program, the project team must develop both synchronous and asynchronous resource material.

Each weekly lesson plan will include 45-minute lecture sessions and a 15-minute question and answer session. Weekly sessions will be conducted through the Zoom platform, and PowerPoint presentations will be utilized to create engaging presentations. Asynchronous material will include infographics, fact lists, and lists of additional resources where participants can find further information on the weekly lesson topics.

Initially, the Hydration Heroes Nutrition Education Program will train one moderator as the program will only have one session running. However, as awareness of the program increases and participants increase, additional moderators will need to be trained on the subject matter and the educational style.

A key aspect of the program will be the 15-minute question and answer session, where participants will be encouraged to present questions about applying the knowledge in situations they see themselves having in their careers. In addition, the total number of questions and type of questions asked (i.e., yes or no versus engaging questions) will be tracked to measure program participation and reach.

Additionally, questions asked during this time will be utilized to determine whether or not course material should be added or altered.

Finally, average interactions will be calculated to determine whether the program will benefit from an altered discrepancy of time allotted for class lectures compared with question and answer session time.

Starting with the pilot launch, participants will begin and end the educational training program with the same test to determine knowledge of various aspects relating to hydration and athletes, including the impact of beverage choices, how to determine fluid consumption needs based on weather, exercise type, exercise intensity, and sweat rate, motivational factors for improving hydration habits, and more.

The pre-program test results will be compared with the post-program test results to determine how participants utilized, received, and understood materials delivered from the program.

Process Evaluation Questions

Target of Question	Process- Evaluation Question	Method of Assessment for Question	Resources Required
Recruitment*	How were athletic trainers (ATs), sports physiotherapists (SPs and other trusted fitness personnel (TFPs) found to participate in the program?	Participants of the program will be tracked based on how they were found and contacted and their previous credentials.	The Salesforce platform will be utilized for tracking, while participants will be found through a combination of database and social media searches.
Reach*	How engaged were the ATs, SPs, and TFPs during the question and answer sessions at the end of each lecture?	The total number of questions and type of questions asked (i.e., yes or no versus engaging questions) will be tracked.	Salesforce will be utilized for tracking individual participation and total group participation in each lesson.
Fidelity	Did the Hydration Heroes educational program stick to the designated lesson plans for each week and provide ample room for in-depth discussion and lecture-based learning?	Lecture and question and answer time will be tracked independently, while course topic deviations will be analyzed independently if they occur.	Salesforce will be utilized for lesson time tracking of each weekly lesson.
Context	Were there any new issues learned through the educational program that could hinder the implementation of the hydration principles taught in the program?	Program developers will review weekly question and answer sessions to determine whether or not there are any repeated concerns about specific topics and determine if the course content remains viable and beneficial.	Program developers must remain available to review each weekly session, and issues will be independently investigated to determine whether they are isolated or overarching issues.
Dose Delivered	Was each lesson plan finished in the allotted time per week and fully covered?	Program developers will review each lesson for timeliness.	The only resource necessary is program developer availability to review the lessons.
Dose Received*	Did the ATs, SPs, and TFPs improve their score on the knowledge assessment at the end of the program compared to the beginning of the program?	A knowledge assessment will be given before the educational program and after.	A challenging knowledge assessment must be developed to determine how significant knowledge increases occur throughout the educational program.

Recruitment, reach and dose received are the most important process evaluation questions for the Hydration Heroes Nutrition Education Program. Recruitment is an integral aspect of the program’s success because a key is finding trusted fitness personnel interested in taking the program and advancing their education about hydrating athletes.

An incentive for participating in the Hydration Heroes Nutrition Education Program will be continuing education credits, making recruitment easier. Since continuing education credits will be offered, the program can operate on a participant-fee, cost-sharing, or third-party supported nature, as many of the individuals may be able to have their organization or employer provide financial support for joining the program.

Determining the most common sources for participant recruitment (i.e., colleges or universities), will make long-term marketing success easier.

Program reach will play an important role in determining whether or not individuals will be likely to suggest the program to their colleagues, as engagement in the question and answer sessions should be insightful and enjoyable. In addition, concluding each session with an interactive component should lead to participants enjoying the program along with learning, and hopefully recommending the program instead of viewing it as boring or painstaking.

Finally, the knowledge assessment scores are crucial to determining whether or not the program makes significant changes in the knowledge levels of participants. The changes in the knowledge level of participants is critical to further analysis, including answering questions like whether or not enhanced nutrition education of trusted fitness personnel on the topic of hydration habits produces differences in athlete hydration status before training sessions and competitions.

The knowledge assessment should be challenging so participants can demonstrate a significant difference in knowledge from before the training program to after.