Partial Examination of the Public Health Impact of the People with Arthritis Can Exercise (PACE®) Program: Reach, Adoption, and Maintenance

ABSTRACT Objective: To partially evaluate the public health impact (i.e., reach, adoption, maintenance) of People with Arthritis Can Exercise® (PACE®) programs, which were initiated as a result of two PACE® instructor‐training workshops. Design: The study design involved a one‐time only, cross‐sectional assessment of reach, adoption, and maintenance, conducted 6 months after the workshops. Sample: Participants were 11 adults (nfemales=10) trained to be PACE® instructors at one of the workshops. Measurements: One‐on‐one phone interviews, developed using the RE‐AIM framework, assessed reach, adoption, and maintenance. Results: Eight of the 11 individuals trained as instructors subsequently began PACE® in one of 10 organizations across various communities, indicating high program adoption. However, on average, only 7 individuals with arthritis participated in each PACE® program, indicating a low program reach. Within 6 months of beginning PACE®, only 3 organizations continued to offer PACE®, indicating low program maintenance. Two primary challenges to initiating PACE® included recruiting a sufficient number of people to participate in the program and in finding a convenient time to offer it so more individuals could join. Conclusion: The public health impact, as assessed by reach, adoption, and maintenance, of PACE® programs initiated as a result of 2 instructor‐training workshops was low.