Program Planning: Community Nutrition Assessment

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

Why Do Assessment?

Community Nutrition Assessment:

• Anchors interventions in the reality of the community

• Essential part of ongoing process:– Needs assessment– Designing and implementing interventions– Evaluation – Feedback for improvement

• Includes community and stakeholders as fully active participants

Community Nutrition Assessment:

• Based on assets more than deficits• Helps to integrate nutrition programs into

community-based institutions and initiatives

Successful Community Assessment Includes:

• Understanding current conditions of families, individuals, institutions & policies

• Evaluating local capacities for supporting change

• Building community support for implementing changes

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)

Strategic Planning for Initiatives to Address Local Health Efforts

• Organize a community planning group• Define community boundaries• Gather information

– Statistical profile– Qualitative data– Community Resources & Environments– Policies

Agency for Health Care Policy and Research

Strategic Planning, cont.

• Analyze Information– Common issues– High risk individuals– Unmet needs– Prioritize

• Develop and implement plan • Monitor and evaluate plan

Community Nutrition Planning Group: Responsibilities

• Collect data and information• Identify needs and gaps • Set priorities• Develop a plan• Help to implement interventions• Assist in evaluation

– Of assessment, planning, and intervention process– Of impact of intervention

Community Nutrition Planning Group: Potential Members

• Community leaders & advocates• Consumers• Health and nutrition service providers• Health organizations• Schools• Political office holders or their staff• Fitness, Parks & Rec professionals• Representatives from greater community health

planning groups• Food systems representatives

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

Identify Community Assets

• Physical structure, place, business• Concerned citizens• History of successful efforts• Organizations• Individual and group skills• Communications systems• Relationships

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

How do we assess perceived needs?

• Listening sessions• Public forums• Key informant interviews• Needs assessment survey or survey of

concerns

Demographic Profile

• Economic status: income, employment, % below poverty

• Education levels• Age and gender• Race & ethnicity• Social factors: homelessness, immigration

status, family composition, TANF utilization

Community Health Status

• Causes of Mortality• Hospital discharge data• Disease prevalence data• Food bourne illness reports• Years of potential life lost• Infant mortality

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)

Community Nutrition Resources

• Food assistance programs (WIC, SNAP, summer feeding programs for school children, etc.)

• Educational programs• Media• Professional and non-profit organizations• Nutrition counseling

Community Food Resources

• Grocery stores with high quality produce• Food service with health promoting food

options• Farmers’ Markets• Vegetable gardens• Community Supported Agriculture• Supports for growing local foods

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

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

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