Making Plans That Matter: PRECEDE-PROCEED Model

What’s the PRECEDE-PROCEED Model?

The PRECEDE-PROCEED model is basically a roadmap. Not the kind that gets you from point A to B—but the kind that helps you figure out why people do what they do, what needs to change, and how you can help make that happen.

It was designed to help folks in public health plan and evaluate programs that actually make a difference in people’s lives. Think of it like a GPS for helping: it doesn't just tell you where to go—it asks why you're going there, what you’ll need on the way, and who you’ll need to bring with you.

Let’s break it down.

The Two Halves of the Model

PRECEDE = Diagnostic (Think: What's going on here?)
PROCEED = Implementation + Evaluation (Think: Now what do we do about it?)

PRECEDE: Diagnosing Before Doing

Each phase of PRECEDE helps you understand the community before you jump into action. It’s the opposite of the “fix it fast” approach that often leaves helpers feeling discouraged.

Phase 1: Social Assessment
Ask the community: What does a good life look like?
✔️ Talk with people.
✔️ Listen to what they care about.
✔️ Center their definitions of wellbeing.

Phase 2: Epidemiological Assessment
Look at the data: What’s harming health here?
✔️ Use local health stats.
✔️ Identify measurable issues (like high diabetes rates or low physical activity).

Phase 3: Behavioral & Environmental Assessment
Dig deeper: What’s driving those issues?
✔️ Are people skipping meals because of low wages?
✔️ Is the built environment making walking unsafe?

Phase 4: Educational & Ecological Assessment
Zoom in on what shapes behavior:

• Predisposing Factors: Beliefs, knowledge, attitudes

• Reinforcing Factors: Support from peers, family, media

• Enabling Factors: Access to services, policies, resources

Phase 5: Administrative & Policy Assessment
Check your toolbox:
✔️ Do you have the capacity, partnerships, and policies to move forward?

PROCEED: Action with Accountability

Phase 6: Implementation
Go time. But remember: community-led > expert-led.

Phase 7: Process Evaluation
Are we doing what we said we’d do?
✔️ Track participation, fidelity, and logistics.

Phase 8: Impact Evaluation
Is it working in the short-term?
✔️ Are behaviors changing?
✔️ Are systems shifting?

Phase 9: Outcome Evaluation
Is the community healthier now than before?
✔️ Look for long-term change: fewer ER visits, improved wellbeing, etc.

How Helpers Can Use This Model

You don’t need to be a researcher or grant writer to use PRECEDE-PROCEED. Helpers use this framework every time they:

• Design a support group that meets real emotional needs

• Adapt a food pantry program to serve elders with mobility challenges

• Build a youth coalition that creates peer-led change

• Launch an initiative and then ask, “Is this still working for our people?”

Use it to:

• Slow down and listen first

• Build community trust

• Choose interventions that fit the culture, context, and capacity

• Evaluate without shame—adjust as you go

Reflection Questions for Helpers

• When was the last time you asked the community what they want help with?

• Which phase of the model do you usually skip—and why?

• How could you use this model to design or improve something you're working on?

In Closing

The PRECEDE-PROCEED model reminds us: helping is not about swooping in with the answers. It’s about walking alongside people, asking better questions, and designing change that actually sticks.

You don’t have to do it perfectly. Just do it with people, not to them.