Program Planning Community Nutrition Assessment Program Planning Basics

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