Community Health Notes - Exam 2 Lecture
Chapter 4, 5, 14, 21
Chapter 4: Introduction to Community Assessment
Community Health Assessment
● Community health assessment (CHA) = the first step in health planning for
communities. The assessment provides community members and other stakeholders with
necessary information to identify assets and challenges that guide development of
community health planning
● Identifying assets and challenged
● Ex: Neighborhood Watch
● As a public health nurse, community assessment is the first step in the development of
health programs and interventions aimed at optimizing the health of a community or
population. Also is the gathering of information and identifying areas for improvement in
the health of a community.
● Remember that a community is individuals living in the same geographical area with
common interests. Ex. Religion or ethnicity.
● 3 important characteristics of health of a community are health status, structures, and
competence.
● Conditions and select measures of community competence include commitment to the
community, conflict containment, accommodation (working together), participant
interaction, decision making, management of the relationships with society, participation
(use of local services), awareness of self and other, and effective communication.
Comprehensive Assessments
● Collection of data from a population living in a community
● Assessment of the assets of a community
● Ex: unmet needs of a community or identification of a problem, or opportunities to act,
health disparities, and opportunity of action
● Gather data about the population living within the community, examines community
assets such as the local health department capacity, and identifies problems and issues
(unmet needs, health disparity) as well as opportunities for action.
Population-Focused Assessment
● Population is a large group of people that may or may not interact with one another but
share 1 characteristic (i.e., gender or COPD)
● It is the focus on a specific population and conducting an assessment
● Ex: pregnant teenagers or children with disabilities, immigrant living within a community
Setting-Specific Assessment
, ● Is a specific location or setting for an assessment
● Identifying the strengthens and weakness of organization or program
● Ex: workplace setting
● Obtaining information related to the health of employees within the workplace
setting-protective and risk factors to identify opportunities to improve the health of the
workers
Health Issue Based Assessment
● Specific health effects of a policy-community level
● Vulnerable or disadvantaged groups
● Assessment of the environment or social influence of large projects
● Ex: zoning laws - increase the availability of walking paths - reduce the prevalence of
obesity in a community or transport system
● How to optimize the health of community
● Steps - screening, scoping, appraisal, reporting, and monitoring
Health Impact Assessment
● Potential health effects of a policy
● Program or project on a population (vulnerable/disadvantaged groups)
● Ex: zoning laws or the CDC’s walking program Set It UP!
● How to optimize a community
Rapid Assessment
● Emergency such as a flooding, forest fires, or man made or natural disasters
● Occurs after a disaster (right after)
● Effective with limited resources
● Straightforward collection of data
● The goal is to understand immediate needs, determine possible course of action, and
identify resource requirements
● Require 1 week after incidence
Community Assessment - Needs Assessments vs. Asset Mapping
● Needs assessment - setting priorities and making decisions about program or
organizational improvements and allocation resources
● Assets - positive and negative
, ● Asset Mapping - effectiveness
○ People - individuals and families living in the community
○ Places - schools, businesses, recreational centers
○ Systems - government and churches (formal), neighborhood organizations
(informal)
Community-Based Participatory Research
● Engagement of members of a community members common vision
● Capacity to building, shared vision, ownership, trust, and active participation and mutual
benefit
● Collaborative approach combines knowledge and interest
● End goal - to achieve change that will work towards improving the health of community
CHANGE
● Based off the socioecological model by the Center of Disease Control
● Engagement of stakeholders and community members
● Strengths and areas of improvement towards policies, systems, and environment
● Complete an assessment, make a diagnosis, and the development of an active plan
● Living document that community can use to identify health concerns of the community
and structure activities around a common goal
● Start with evaluation first before assessment process
● Also know CHANGE list of sectors - on page 95
MAPP (Mobilizing for Action through Planning and Partnership)
● To improve health and quality of life by mobilizing partnership and action plan
Chapter 4, 5, 14, 21
Chapter 4: Introduction to Community Assessment
Community Health Assessment
● Community health assessment (CHA) = the first step in health planning for
communities. The assessment provides community members and other stakeholders with
necessary information to identify assets and challenges that guide development of
community health planning
● Identifying assets and challenged
● Ex: Neighborhood Watch
● As a public health nurse, community assessment is the first step in the development of
health programs and interventions aimed at optimizing the health of a community or
population. Also is the gathering of information and identifying areas for improvement in
the health of a community.
● Remember that a community is individuals living in the same geographical area with
common interests. Ex. Religion or ethnicity.
● 3 important characteristics of health of a community are health status, structures, and
competence.
● Conditions and select measures of community competence include commitment to the
community, conflict containment, accommodation (working together), participant
interaction, decision making, management of the relationships with society, participation
(use of local services), awareness of self and other, and effective communication.
Comprehensive Assessments
● Collection of data from a population living in a community
● Assessment of the assets of a community
● Ex: unmet needs of a community or identification of a problem, or opportunities to act,
health disparities, and opportunity of action
● Gather data about the population living within the community, examines community
assets such as the local health department capacity, and identifies problems and issues
(unmet needs, health disparity) as well as opportunities for action.
Population-Focused Assessment
● Population is a large group of people that may or may not interact with one another but
share 1 characteristic (i.e., gender or COPD)
● It is the focus on a specific population and conducting an assessment
● Ex: pregnant teenagers or children with disabilities, immigrant living within a community
Setting-Specific Assessment
, ● Is a specific location or setting for an assessment
● Identifying the strengthens and weakness of organization or program
● Ex: workplace setting
● Obtaining information related to the health of employees within the workplace
setting-protective and risk factors to identify opportunities to improve the health of the
workers
Health Issue Based Assessment
● Specific health effects of a policy-community level
● Vulnerable or disadvantaged groups
● Assessment of the environment or social influence of large projects
● Ex: zoning laws - increase the availability of walking paths - reduce the prevalence of
obesity in a community or transport system
● How to optimize the health of community
● Steps - screening, scoping, appraisal, reporting, and monitoring
Health Impact Assessment
● Potential health effects of a policy
● Program or project on a population (vulnerable/disadvantaged groups)
● Ex: zoning laws or the CDC’s walking program Set It UP!
● How to optimize a community
Rapid Assessment
● Emergency such as a flooding, forest fires, or man made or natural disasters
● Occurs after a disaster (right after)
● Effective with limited resources
● Straightforward collection of data
● The goal is to understand immediate needs, determine possible course of action, and
identify resource requirements
● Require 1 week after incidence
Community Assessment - Needs Assessments vs. Asset Mapping
● Needs assessment - setting priorities and making decisions about program or
organizational improvements and allocation resources
● Assets - positive and negative
, ● Asset Mapping - effectiveness
○ People - individuals and families living in the community
○ Places - schools, businesses, recreational centers
○ Systems - government and churches (formal), neighborhood organizations
(informal)
Community-Based Participatory Research
● Engagement of members of a community members common vision
● Capacity to building, shared vision, ownership, trust, and active participation and mutual
benefit
● Collaborative approach combines knowledge and interest
● End goal - to achieve change that will work towards improving the health of community
CHANGE
● Based off the socioecological model by the Center of Disease Control
● Engagement of stakeholders and community members
● Strengths and areas of improvement towards policies, systems, and environment
● Complete an assessment, make a diagnosis, and the development of an active plan
● Living document that community can use to identify health concerns of the community
and structure activities around a common goal
● Start with evaluation first before assessment process
● Also know CHANGE list of sectors - on page 95
MAPP (Mobilizing for Action through Planning and Partnership)
● To improve health and quality of life by mobilizing partnership and action plan
