Diaries in health promotion research: the Mobile Information Bus evaluation

Abstract

This paper discusses the use of diary-keeping as part of an evaluation of a complex, community-based health promotion initiative, using the Mobile Information Bus (MIB) as an example. The MIB was designed to provide health and related information for living adolescents in rural areas of Northeast Scotland. The general strengths and limitations of diary-keeping as a research method are discussed alongside an account of the evaluators' experiences of using this method within the MIB context, as well as suggestions for improving the efficacy of diary-keeping as a research method. In addition, the results of an extensive literature search on the topic of diaries as a research method are reported. As part of the MIB evaluation, the diary provided a contemporaneous, in-depth account of the intervention in operation. Those engaged in evaluation of similar types of projects (particularly related to process evaluation) may find the use of a project diary a useful adjunct to other research methods.