Assets-Oriented Community Assessment.
PATRICIA A. SHARPE, PHD MPH U MARY L. GREANEY, MPH PETER R. LEE, MPH * SHERER W. ROYCE, MPH
Assets-Oriented Community Assessment
S Y N 0 P S I S
Dr. Sharpe, Ms. Greaney, and Ms. Royce are with the Prevention Research Center at the
University of South Carolina School of Public
Health. Dr. Sharpe is Research Associate
Determining how to promote community health requires that community health workers first assess where the community stands. The authors maintain that Healthy Communities initiatives are better served by assetsoriented assessment methods than by standard "problem-focused" or "needs-based" approaches. An assets orientation allows community members to identify, support, and mobilize existing community resources to create a shared vision of change, and encourages greater creativity when community members do address problems and obstacles.
Professor. Ms. Greaney and Ms. Royce are
Research Assistants with the Center and doctoral candidates in the Department of Health Promotion and Education, School of
Public Health. Mr. Lee is Senior Associate for Healthy Communities at the Medical
Foundation, Boston.
Wlifith the growing interest in community participation and selfi/il determination-both central to Healthy Communities princiVV ples-the standard "problem-focused" or "needs-based" approaches to community health have come under criticism. Problemfocused theories and planning models share a common focus on problem identification and have permeated government, the media, professional training of all sorts, as well as funding agencies and organizations. ' Kretzmann and McKnight contend that deficiency-based approaches can have negative effects even when positive change is intended because they force community leaders to highlight their communities ' worst side in order to attract resources. ' Needs-focused perspectives may also unintentionally create one-dimensional images that characterize communities and the individuals within them
Assets-Oriented Community Assessment
S Y N 0 P S I S
Dr. Sharpe, Ms. Greaney, and Ms. Royce are with the Prevention Research Center at the
University of South Carolina School of Public
Health. Dr. Sharpe is Research Associate
Determining how to promote community health requires that community health workers first assess where the community stands. The authors maintain that Healthy Communities initiatives are better served by assetsoriented assessment methods than by standard "problem-focused" or "needs-based" approaches. An assets orientation allows community members to identify, support, and mobilize existing community resources to create a shared vision of change, and encourages greater creativity when community members do address problems and obstacles.
Professor. Ms. Greaney and Ms. Royce are
Research Assistants with the Center and doctoral candidates in the Department of Health Promotion and Education, School of
Public Health. Mr. Lee is Senior Associate for Healthy Communities at the Medical
Foundation, Boston.
Wlifith the growing interest in community participation and selfi/il determination-both central to Healthy Communities princiVV ples-the standard "problem-focused" or "needs-based" approaches to community health have come under criticism. Problemfocused theories and planning models share a common focus on problem identification and have permeated government, the media, professional training of all sorts, as well as funding agencies and organizations. ' Kretzmann and McKnight contend that deficiency-based approaches can have negative effects even when positive change is intended because they force community leaders to highlight their communities ' worst side in order to attract resources. ' Needs-focused perspectives may also unintentionally create one-dimensional images that characterize communities and the individuals within them
References: sampe cpy,call 800-5-3 Canada~ nly) or 91 9~67O o aso e-mail jnlordrso te Outsid jJ A eia,cl+4(0 865 6 7485 , 26707 Fax44 (1 -jnlordtLer-s@o1 up.co.uk juhphf OX-FORD