Have you ever wondered, “Why do I need to develop and use a logic model?”

Logic models should be a clear and concise “10,000 foot view” of the work you’re doing  and relevant for various stakeholders involved in your work. The trick is to think about  how you’ll use it, what you have to do to make it user-friendly, and who can benefit from  working with it ahead of time—a logic model is only as useful as you make it!

Logic models can work for you to…

Find out more about how to make your logic model work for you with this quick one-page resource by Healthy Teen Network.

As an example, Healthy Teen Network developed a logic model for working with pregnant and parenting teens and their families. The BDI Logic Model for Working with Young Families Resource Kit identifies the critical social determinants relevant for supporting pregnant and parenting teens to achieve self-sufficiency and positive outcomes for themselves and their children.

When working in the primary prevention field, the program goal is more straightforward—the sole focus of the program is usually to reduce teen pregnancy, STIs, and/or HIV. However, when working with young families, while one of many goals is usually preventing (or delaying) subsequent pregnancies and reducing STIs/HIV, this is usually or often times not the sole focus of the program.

This sample logic model provides the map for the sometimes complicated linkages to care, referrals to services, and various supports essential to achieve diverse program objectives, organized into three goal areas:

Uniquely, the BDI Logic Model focuses first on the goal or intended outcomes, in order to make sure that the intervention activities are strategically and purposefully designed to reach the goal or outcomes. Second, the BDI Logic Model focuses on the behavior(s) of the individual—something practitioners can influence within the context of programs. The third focus is on determinants, or risk and protective factors, that influence decisions and choices about behaviors. Lastly, the BDI Logic Model focuses on the specific intervention strategy, or set of intervention activities, that impact selected determinants that influence behaviors.

The graphic below displays a “thread,” or a piece of a logic model, demonstrating this relationship between the goal, behaviors, determinants, and intervention activities:

The sample logic model in the Resource Kit may serve as a guide for you in the program planning, design, and/or selection of services for pregnant and parenting teens. It may be used as the foundation for a program and then modified based on the relevant priority population, behaviors, determinants, and intervention activities. By using the logic model as an evidence-based approach, programs may be more strategic, more purposeful, and ultimately, more effective.

To find out more about using a logic model, let us know how we can support you.