AOR 1: Assessment of Needs and Capacity

Terminology from AOR1 as indicated in textbook

Advisory Committee

individuals who are in a position to periodically report on their actual experiences related to some common issue

• In doing so, members of this committee may offer their advice to a key individual who is bringing them together or to another group of people who will be making programmatic decisions

Capacity Assessment

a measure of actual and potential individual, group, and community resources that can be inherent, and/or brought, to bear for health maintenance and enhancement

• includes the process of asset mapping

Coalition

a group of diverse organizations and constituencies working together toward a common goal

Needs Assessment

the process of identifying, analyzing, and prioritizing the needs of a priority population

Qualitative Data

data in narrative form, which is collected to better understand motivation, thoughts, feelings, and behaviors

Quantitative Data

data collected in numerical form or easily translated into numerical formused to quantify behaviors, opinions, or other defined variables, allowing for statistical analysis.

Planning Committee

advisory committee members, experts, and agency staff

• the lifespan of this committee may be episodic

Primary Data

data that a health education specialist collects directly, which are used to answer unique questions related to the specific needs assessment

Secondary Data

data that already have been collected by others that may or may not be directly gathered from the individual or population being assessed

Stakeholders

individuals or agencies with a vested interest in health education programdevelopment and outcomes, including funders, beneficiaries, and community members.

Social Determinants of Health

conditions in which people are born, live, work, play, as well as age, that affect their health risks, health, daily functioning, and quality of life

Priority Population

consists of the entire population if an intervention is being implemented for the total community

Resources

includes:

• human resources, supplies, incentives for participation, and travel funds that are available to conduct assessment

• individuals, organizations, institutions, buildings, landscapes, and equipment that may be a potential asset for the development of the program/intervention

• assessments that have been conducted in the targeted community to avoid duplication of efforts

Policies

laws, regulations, both formal/informal at the sector/organizational, local, state and/or federal level that may influence the actions or behaviors of the priority population

Programs

available for the priority population to assess usage, effectiveness, accessibility and if priority population needs are being met to avoid duplication

Practices

evidence-based, or best practices, that can have the potential to impact assessment process/findings and program planning efforts in multiple settings and populations

Interventions

designed to change environmental or behavioral factors related to health

Priority Population Perspective

expressed, actual, perceived and relative needs should all be addressed in the needs assessment, because community concerns may not always reflect empirical data

• interventions and initiatives are most effective when tailored to the specific needs of the community

Partners

either individuals or organizations that bring knowledge, skills, or resources to the table and are willing to share risks, responsibilities, and rewards

Literature Review

a highly systematic method of locating, synthesizing, and interpreting a collection of work by researchers and practitioners

Credible Databases

valid and reliable sources of information on the internet for health education specialists

• BIOETHICSLINE, ERIC, HAPI, MEDLINE, National Library of Medicine, & TOXNET

Accuracy of Published Information

8 questions that can be asked when evaluating research in literature include:

1. was the purpose of the study stated?

2. was the research question or hypothesis stated?

3. were the subjects in the study described? Did the literature describe participant recruitment?

4. was the design and location of the study described?

5. were the data collection instruments described?

6. did the presented results reflect the research question or hypothesis?

7. were the conclusions reflective of the research design and data analysis?

8. were the implications meaningful to the priority population?

Data Gaps

areas where there are little data that inform the key questions of the needs assessment that include certain health problems, health behaviors, attitudes, beliefs or other theoretical constructs related to health behaviors

Instruments

primary data collection sources and strategies at the individual, group and community level

Surveys

used to determine the knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, behaviors, skills and health status of a priority population

Self-assessment Instruments

allow people to answer questions about their health history, behavior, and screening results. these data are then compared against a database of individuals with similar characteristics, which can provide a risk assessment for various diseases as well as life expectancy

Observations

used to gather data through direct surveillance of the population

Community Forums

public meetings to discuss their perceptions of the community’s health problems

Focus Group

participants are selected based on specific criteria and discussion is led by a skilled facilitator

Nominal Group Process

highly structured process in which a few representatives from the priority population are asked to respond to specific questions, which are based on what the health education specialist needs to know

Delphi Panel

a group process that generates consensus by using a series of mailed or e-mailed questionnaires

Community Capacity Inventory

developing a written list of the skills and talents of individual community members, associations, and other resources in the neighborhood as a whole

Community Asset Map

a visual representation of the physical assets of a community that may constitute important physical and social support structures for achieving community goals

PhotoVoice

specific photographic technique to enable people to record and reflect on personal and community strengths and concerns

Steps to design and complete a survey:

1. planning the survey

2. overall design

3. method of data collection

4. planning data analysis

5. drawing the sample

6. questionnaire construction

7. pretest questionnaire

8. questionnaire revision

9. administering the survey

10. code preparation

11. verification

12. data entry

13. tabulation

14. analysis

15. recording and reporting

Data Analysis Plan

a roadmap for organizing and analyzing needs and capacity assessment data before the collection of data

Health Status

determined by an intricate mix of individul and population-based behaviors

Social Ecological Model

Behavior has 5 levels of influence:

• Individual: knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs that influence behavior

• Interpersonal: association with family, friends, and peers that define social identity, support, and role

• Institutional: rules, regulations, and policies, which may constrain or promote recommended behaviors

• Community: social networks and norms

• Public Policy: local, state, and federal policies and laws that regulate or support actions/practices

Healthy People 2030

uses social determinants of health to try and reduce health disparities to achieve healthy equity

System

an organized collection of integrated elements that work as a whole to accomplish an overall goal

Systems Change

modification in how a collective unit decides upon policies, program services, decision-making, and the allocation of resources

Levels for Systems Change

• Paradigm: the mindset or beliefs of how the systems work and refer to goals, policies, and structure

• Goals: aims of the system

• System Structure: Parts of the system, actors (leadership, staff, partners), and interconnections between the parts

• Feedback and Delays: Providing information about the results of different actions by system elements to the source/administration of the actions

• System elements: Actors and physical elements of the system connection through activities and information flow (communication)

Predisposing Factors

individual knowledge and affective traits

Enabling Factors

factors that make possible a change in behavior

Reinforcing Factors

feedback and encouragement resulting from a changed behavior

Program Prioritization

health education specialists confirming that health education needs match the program needs

Inclusion

the right type and number of partners

Recruitment, reach, and response

promoting the program and ensuring that the priority population is aware of the program, has the opportunity to participate in the program, and has an adequate number actually participate in the program

Dose

the number of units or program components that are actually delivered to the priority population

Interaction and satisfaction

the degree to which practitioners effectively work and communicate with program participants and how satisfied participants are with the program in general or with specific components

Context

assess the presence of any confounding factors in the environment that may affect the program participation or initial results

Report/Dissemination Findings

HES’s need to consider to whom they will disseminate findings (priority population, researchers, funding agencies) and who should write the report, receive the report, as well as in what format it should be distributed ad when it should be distributed