Caught in the Web

Piloting a Methodology to Assess Community Capacity in a Rural Heart Health Project

Authors

  • Donna Thompson David Thompson Health Region, Red Deer, Alberta
  • Lori Baugh Littlejohns David Thompson Health Region, Red Deer, Alberta
  • Neale Smith David Thompson Health Region, Red Deer, Alberta

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3138/cjpe.15.002

Abstract

As health promotion practitioners, we have been encouraged to implement strategies that embrace a community-building approach for strengthening community health. In this article, we present our experience in piloting a methodology to assess the extent to which community capacity was built in a rural heart health project. We defined community capacity as the degree to which a community (and its agency partners) can develop, implement, and sustain actions for strengthening community health. An assessment protocol that included a series of guiding questions and a ranking procedure to assess seven domains of community capacity was designed for focus group application. Following from this, community capacity webs, which visually depict the extent of capacity built through the heart project, were produced for each community. The methodology requires further refinement; however, through this process we were able to further our understanding of the effectiveness of this project in building community capacity.

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Published

2000-11-21

How to Cite

Thompson, D., Baugh Littlejohns, L., & Smith, N. (2000). Caught in the Web: Piloting a Methodology to Assess Community Capacity in a Rural Heart Health Project. Canadian Journal of Program Evaluation, 15(2), 35–55. https://doi.org/10.3138/cjpe.15.002

Issue

Vol. 15 No. 2 (2000): Fall

Section

Articles

License

Copyright (c) 2000 Donna Thompson, Lori Baugh Littlejohns, Neale Smith

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