1. Program Planning: Community Nutrition Assessment
January 25, 2007

2. Program Planning Basics
Systematic process
Continual feedback and evaluation
Cyclical: based on increasing understandings of the true nature of the situation and the effectiveness of interventions.
Starts with an assessment of the current situation

3. Process Evaluation and Adjustment
Assess
Prioritize
Analyze problem and propose model to address
Develop Intervention goals, objectives, implementation plan
Evaluate outcomes

4. Why Do Assessment?

5. Community Nutrition Assessment:
Anchors program/intervention in the reality of the community
Essential part of ongoing process:
Needs assessment
Designing and implementing services
Evaluation
Improving programs and services
Includes community and stakeholders as fully active participants

6. Community Nutrition Assessment:
Based on assets more than deficits
Helps to integrate nutrition programs into community-based health programs and plans

7. Successful Community Assessment Includes:
Understanding current conditions of families and individuals
Evaluating local capacities for supporting health and nutrition needs
Building community support for implementing changes

8. Models and Protocols for Community Assessment
Planned Approaches to Community Health (PATCH) – CDC
Assessment Protocol for Excellence in Public Health (APEXPH) – NACHO (National Association of County Health Officials)
Moving to the Future: Developing Community Based Nutrition Services – ASTPHND (Association of State and Territorial Public Health Nutrition Directors)

9. Strategic Planning for Initiatives to Address Local Health Efforts
Community Assessment
Organize a community planning group
Define community boundaries
Gather information
Statistical profile
Qualitative data
Community Resources
Agency for Health Care Policy and Research

10. Strategic Planning, cont.
Analyze Information
Common issues
High risk individuals
Unmet needs
Prioritize
Develop and implement community health plan
Monitor and evaluate community health plan

11. Steps to Assessment Convene a planning group Define community
Identify Community Assets
Identify Perceived Needs
Build Demographic Profile
Analyze Community Health Status
Analyze Community Nutrition Status
Identify Community Resources and Service Utilization
Identify common issues and unmet needs
Prioritize

12. Community Nutrition Planning Group: Responsibilities
Collect data and information
Identify health needs and gaps in service
Set priorities
Develop a plan
Help to implement interventions
Assist in evaluation
Of assessment, planning, and intervention process
Of impact of intervention

13. Community Nutrition Planning Group: Potential Members
Community leaders
Consumers
Health and Nutrition Service providers
Health organizations
Schools
Political office holders or their staff
Fitness professionals
Representatives from greater community health planning groups

14. Define the Parameters
Public Health Nutrition: Assuring conditions in which people can be nutritionally healthy
Community: “A community is any group sharing something in common”
Community Tool Box

15. Community Description
Geographic boundaries
General history
Key people and leaders
Demographics
Financial & economic information
Important issues
Morale and involvement levels
Key allies and rivals
Unspoken rules and norms
Attitudes and opinions
Strengths and shortcomings

16. Identify Community Assets
Physical structure, place, business
Concerned citizens
History of successful efforts
Organizations
Individual and group skills
Communications systems
Relationships

17. Identify Perceived Needs
WHY?
To understand public opinion
To become aware of needs the planning group doesn’t know about
To gather support & expand group expertise
To make decisions about priorities
To plan programs in ways that will be acceptable to stakeholders

18. How do we assess perceived needs?
Listening sessions
Public forums
Key informant interviews
Needs assessment survey or survey of concerns

19. Demographic Profile
Economic status: income, employment, % below poverty
Education levels
Age and gender
Race & ethnicity
Social factors: homelessness, immigration status, family composition, TANF utilization

20. Community Health Status
Causes of Mortality
Hospital discharge data
Disease prevalence data
Food bourne illness reports
Years of potential life lost
Infant mortality

21. Community Nutritional Status
Pregnancy related:
weight gain in pregnancy
Pre-pregnancy weight
Anemia
Disease prevalence: HIV/AIDS, cardiovascular disease, diabetes
Activity levels (BRFSS)
Food intake: fat, fruits & vegetables (BRFSS)
Dental health
Food/dieting related behaviors (YRBS)
Food Security (BRFSS)

22. Community Resources & Service Utilization
What resources are available?
To what extent are people using them?
Sources of Information:
Citizens
Service providers
Tools
Existing data
Interviews
Surveys

23. Examples of Community Nutrition Resources
Food assistance programs (WIC, Basic Food, etc.)
Grocery stores with high quality produce
Food Service with health promoting food options
Educational programs
Media
Profession and non-profit organizations
Nutrition counseling

24. Criteria for defining/prioritizing community problems
Frequency
Duration
Scope or range
Severity
Perceptions
Root causes (“but why?”) & ability to impact root causes (effectiveness of interventions)
Barriers to resolutions
Political and financial support

25. Group Work: Roles Assign roles within a breakout group: Student Parent
Teacher
School administrator
Dietitian in School-based health center

26. Group Work: Develop Problem List
Brainstorm nutrition related issues & problems that arise from these data
Choose 5 issues that are of interest to all stakeholders
Prioritize these issues using criteria in these slides
Establish the one issue or problem that all stakeholders will be comfortable working on for the next two weeks