A committee, composed of AME and MUSC representatives was established to evaluate the Health-E-AME website. Evaluation is critical to determine if the website is useful and effective.

1. Who uses the internet and our website?
2. What percent of AME members use the website?
3. How satisfied are members with the website and its components?
4. Do members change health and internet-related behavior - directly or indirectly - because of the website?

1. We select a random sample of small, medium and large AME Churches.
2. A random sample of adult members from these AME Churches is selected to participate in two telephone interviews.
3. Members are contacted at home and asked to volunteer to answer questions approved by the Evaluation Committee about their use of the website, their health status, and their behaviors related to their health and use of the internet. Our first interview occurred in March, 2002.
4. We analyze the information gathered to answer the evaluation questions.
5. Results of the evaluation are posted on the Health-E-AME website.

Second AME telephone survey:

Between May - July, 2003 a telephone survey of 571 adult members of 21 AME churches in South Carolina was conducted. While the survey was similar to the first survey we conducted, this one focused more question on physical activity. The Health-e-ame Evaluation Committee and the human subjects committees of USC and MUSC reviewed the survey instrument. Answers to the questions are anonymous so no individuals can be identified. We want to thank those who participated in the survey and their pastors for allowing us to contact church members. We plan to contact the same members in 2004 and 2005 with another telephone survey so we can see if the Physical-e-fit program made a difference in the lives of AME members. Following are summary answers to each of the questions. In the future, we will include a more in-depth analysis.

Second year summary

We began the second year of the telephone survey in May, 2004 and completed it by July, 2004. Below are two tables that describe the background of the AME members who completed the second survey. We have very few changes to report from the first survey. We hope to make a final report in September, 2005 that will list all the outcomes of this program.

Table 1: Demographic and Church Characteristics

Table 2: Self-reported internet usage