Transcript Preparing health educators to assets map: The interface between

Micky D. Roberts, M.Div., CHES
Bobby Abdolrasulnia, MPH,
CHES
Katherine M. Anderson, MS,
CHES
Preparing Health Educators to Assets
Map:
The interface between assessment
training
and the practice of building community
capacity through assets
Abstract
 Objectives: This study determined the level, scope and sequence of
Assets Mapping as a curriculum component in preparing health
educators for practice in the field.
 Methods: A self-administered questionnaire was mailed to 184
identified Health Education academicians specializing in community
assessment methodology/instruction at Schools of Public Health and
Programs in Health Education/Promotion across the nation.
Descriptive analyses were conducted on items to determine
frequency and extent of instruction, research and application of
assets mapping by these academic institutions.
 Results: 59.6% of responding schools were aware of Assets
Mapping with 16% teaching it at the undergraduate level and 41.9%
teaching at the graduate level.
 Conclusions: The authors conclude that Assets Mapping is a tool
Introduction
Program planning, in the traditional approach for
communities, focuses upon problems that, as described to
communities, can only be resolved by professionals and
experts from agencies. This approach is no longer consistent
with principles of community engagement (Principles of
Community Engagement, 1997) as described in the CDC
publication of the same name. Emerging new tools are
available to the health education practitioner to work in
collaboration with communities utilizing communitydeveloped approaches to prevention. Assets Mapping is one of
those emerging techniques.
“Rather than thinking of the world in ‘parts’ that
form ‘wholes’ we start by recognizing that we
live in a world of ‘wholes’ within ‘wholes’. Rather
than trying to put the pieces together to make
the whole, we recognize that the world is
already whole.”
Koffman and Senge (1993)
Background
Community Assessment is one of the core competencies for
health education specialists as identified by NCHEC. Three
additional priority competencies for health educators have
since been added. The new core competencies rest upon the
skill of assessment including planning, implementation, and
evaluation of effective health education programs. These skill
sets are consistent in identifying the valuable contributions
health educators can make in enabling public health to fulfill
the core functions of public health, i.e., assessment, assurance
and policy development as described in institute of medicine
publication, The Future of Public Health (NIH, 1988).
Background cont.
This alternative approach is one useful way of describing the
community and its sectors through a technique known as
mapping by identifying various levels of human and material
capacity both potential and static. Each of these resources has
assets that can be catalyzed to approach issues of concern and
bring about change. (Kretzmann et al. 1993)
Therefore, communities recently engaging in assets mapping
are focusing upon implementing all the assets mapping tools in
concert with a community as opposed to a piece-meal approach.
The primary steps to conducting community-based assets
mapping include the following: 1) mapping the assets of
individual 2) mapping the assets of associations 3) mapping the
Methods: Study Design
Self-administered surveys were mailed to study
participants listed in a national directory, by ETA SIGMA
GAMMA, of college and university health education
programs and faculties.
Specifically, surveys were sent out to identified staff,
faculty or department heads in universities, colleges and
schools with health promotion/ education programs; as
well as, schools of public health to determine if assets
mapping was being taught as a regular part of the
curriculum.
Methods: Sample
We surveyed those who would be knowledgeable with
both undergraduate and graduate curricula. The study
sample consisted of inquiry from health education
academicians (n=184) with frequencies established
based upon replies (n=52) that were received. Therefore
the response rate was 28.3%. Information is not
available for comparing
respondents with non respondents.
Methods: Measures
Survey questions were asked concerning to what
extent assets mapping was being taught to students,
at what level (undergraduate, masters, or doctoral).
Survey questions were also asked to determine the
depth of assets mapping instruction, community
application and use in research as well as which
concepts of the model were being emphasized.
Additionally, the survey asked to what level the
process had been implemented within local
neighborhoods with student fieldwork.
Results
Of the 184 mailed, 52 replies were received. Analyses of the
data found that 59.6% of responding schools were aware of
assets mapping. Highlighted outcomes from the completed
surveys (28.3% response rate) include: of those teaching
assets mapping, 16% were teaching it at the undergraduate
level and 41.9% were teaching it at the graduate level.
Of the 52 respondents, 30.7% were aware of assets mapping
for more than three years, 30.8% for one year, and 3.8% were
not aware of the concept.
Results
Application of Assests Mapping by respondents
N=52
Method by which respondents became familiar
with Assets Mapping
N=52
9%
3%
28%
17%
11%
21%
46%
34%
31%
ABCD Institute
Univ/College
Articles
Meetings
Student Instruction
Other
The relationship between needs assessment and
assets mapping instruction
Community Application
Research
None
Student application of assets mapping
35
75
30
25
Percent
Percent
80
60
40
20
18.7
3.1
20
15
10
5
3.1
0
0
Internships
In leau of
In conjunction
with
Separate
None
Community Community
Partnerships Volunteering
Method
Jobs
Other
Discussion
The authors conclude that assets mapping is a tool
currently not utilized to prepare public health educators
for practice. Although the response rate is low, one could
infer from qualitative discussions that took place during
the course of implementing this study that assets
mapping per se, as a community planning and
intervention tool is not broadly utilized as a topic for
study. Assets Mapping, as described in John McKnight
and John Kretzman’s seminal work Building
Communities from the Inside Out (McKnight, 1993), may
be viewed by health educators as a social science tool
more appropriately utilized by sociologists than by public
health practitioners.
Discussion Cont’d
As evidenced by Healthy People2010, the national
public health agenda is increasingly emphasizing health
disparities and quality of life as primary goals. Thus, the
question of social economic status (SES) and health
determinants is becoming more significant as public
health practitioners work to develop societal
interventions. Assets Mapping has been utilized in
population based approaches to prevention in assessing
a community’s or coalition’s capacity for prevention. In
order to accomplish this the assets of the individuals,
agencies and supporting institutions partnering in
collaborating efforts must be identified, categorized and
consequently coordinated for efficient implementation.
Acknowledgements
 Kretzman, J.P., & McKnight, J.L. (1993). Building
communities from the inside out: A path toward finding and
mobilizing a community’s assets. Evanston, IL: Center for
Urban Affairs and Policy Research.
 DeKalb HIV/AIDS forum, DeKalb County, Georgia, 1995.
 Knox Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Initiative. Knox
County, Tennessee, 2000.