Analyzing of selective tools and
approaches for community health
needs assessment
HANDOUT FOR THE POSTER P-28-182
PRESENTATION FOR WORLD CONFERENCE ON HEALTH PROMOTION
BY SUPATTRA SRIVANICHAKORN, TASSANEE YANA, ET AL.
Rationale
 Community health development is about making changes by
developing a new program (or modifying an existing one),
bringing about a change in policy, or adjusting a practice
related to the community’s mission needs assessment.
 Community health development are concerned with broader
political and social context, national policies on
decentralization, communities’ characteristics, available
resources and problems encountered within the communities.
 Numbers of communities are experienced with health and
social development by different tools and approaches
regarding to the issues, leadership and communities’
decisions and contexts.
 Stills, questions on practical tools, utilized model, and
measurement for community health needs assessment and
empowerment. However, this project will focus at the
assessment aspect.
Objectives
General
To analyze tools and approaches for community health needs
assessment.
Specific
 To revisit current knowledge on community health
development focusing on assessment aspects from the
literature review and experts’ opinions.
 To identify various existing practical tools, utilized model for
community health needs assessment and empowerment.
 To synthesis the strengths and weak points of selected tools
for community health assessment under specific model of use.
 To propose the set of indicators to measure empowered
community.
Criteria to select tools for community health
assessment for the project
Characteristics
 Flexible and response to the community health assessment in
wide aspects of health as community well-being.
 Applied by various users in community, not only health
professions but community leaders and local authorities at the
sub-district levels.
 Original resource persons and references are available and
accept for the project contributions.
 Enable for community participation and promote community
empowerment.
Study design and activities undertaken
Activities
1.Review literature on tools for community
health assessments focusing at project reports,
lessons learned and synthesis papers from
various organizations.
Results
Inputs for analysis
2.In-depth interview with semi structure
interview questions with experienced persons
and experts on community health needs
assessment.
1. Mr. Narej Songkrausuk
2. Dr. Amorn Nonthasuth
3. Assistant. Prof. Bunchorn Kaewsong
Experts’ opinions as
inputs for analysis
Activities undertaken
Activities
Results
3.Organise
academic
forums
among Learning network, peer
researchers of community research clusters on review
various tools and community health Academic inputs for analysis
assessment and empowerment
4.Workshop: Knowledge management on
practical tools, specific methods and lessons
learned among practitioners and involved
community members in the fields.
Learning network
Operational inputs for
analysis
5. Meeting: Present and disseminate the
technical knowledge from the study to
involved stakeholders
Complementary to project
completion
Research outputs
Technical knowledge
1. Analysis of selective tools: Strategic Route
Map(SRM), community based research and social
mapping: TRF)/ (Thai Health), integrated tool and
approach through participatory actions
2. Framework of analysis: principle, targeted users,
practical methods of utilization, strengths and
weaknesses, lessons learned, facilitating contexts for
the effectiveness of using such tools.
3. Set of indicators to measure empowered community
Scope of analysis of selective tools
STRATEGIC
ROUTE MAP(SRM)
• CONTENTS: principle, targeted users,
practical methods of utilization,
outputs
• LESSONS LEARNED: strengths,
weaknesses or limitations, facilitating
conditions for effective used
COMMUNITY BASED
RESEARCH AND
SOCIAL MAPPING
• CONTENTS: principle, targeted users,
practical methods of utilization,
outputs
• LESSONS LEARNED: strengths,
weaknesses or limitations, facilitating
conditions for effective used
INTEGRATED TOOL
ADOPTED WITH
PARTICIPATORY
ACTIONS
• CONTENTS: principle, targeted users,
practical methods of utilization,
outputs
• LESSONS LEARNED: strengths,
weaknesses or limitations, facilitating
conditions for effective used
Research findings: Analysis of selective tools(1)
Strategic Route Map(SRM)
Principle: new strategic management tool for health development:
shifting concept from providing services to problem resolution
and promote sustainable community self reliance
Targeted users: mostly used by health professionals with active
participation of community and local authorities, endorsed
through MOPH under THPH development policy, and often
used together with community health funds(NHSO)
Practical methods of utilization: 7 key steps on 1) situation analysis;
2) statement on expected outputs-outcome; 3) strategic
planning and review; 4) strategic operational route map
development; 5) definition/targeting/ indicators/ innovations/
community measures; 6)operational plan; and 7) actions and
follow up
Outputs: community’s challenging agenda, learning tool and
involvement for community measures and public policy
development, reference framework for various communities’
decision makings on health interventions and improvement
Research findings: Analysis of selective tools(1)
Lessons learned
Strengths:

raise awareness for community’s concerns and participation

promote individual and group learning through action concept

applicable for various contexts, contents and phase of the
development designed by communities
Limitations:

require community’s positioning and involvement: necessary
baseline context, update information, critical analysis and team
management
Facilitating conditions for effective used:

leading role model either individual or community groups

previous success stories and level of active participation

capacity for community self assessment, change management
Research findings: Analysis of selective tools(2)
Community based research and social mapping (TRF)/(Thai Health)
Principle: a research and development tool for participatory
community assessment, problem solving, and leading to
empowerment
Targeted users: originally for community groups and organizations,
then expanded for other sectors and widely adopted in local
authorities with technically and financially supported by TRF
and Thai Health
Practical methods of utilization: participatory social
mapping(identify physical environment and natural resources,
historical , political and economical context, kinship and social
network, health problems and available services both formal
and informal) and building learning community networks for
further community development
Outputs: community datasets, collective leadership, shifting balance
of community leaders and members, body of knowledge and
proposes of community actions to changes
Research findings: Analysis of selective tools(2)
Lessons learned
Strengths:

acceptance of researchers as an external assessment tool for
identify community positioning and research

comprehensive tool, focused by community rather than external
persons or organizations

evidence based decision making
Limitations:

clarification of community based research: need ownership on
community proposal, active participation and interventions

systematic design of social mapping may cause imbalance and
vague information, time and person consumption

aware of bias and experience of community researchers
Facilitating conditions for effective used:

potential community groups with different sources of information
and approaches(secondary information review, observation,
interview, focus group discussion, etc.)

appropriate(external) technical facilitators

meaningful information not only study, valued and used by
community members not funding agencies
Research findings: Analysis of selective tools(3)
Integrated tools adopted with participatory actions
Principle: user as a tool, focused at knowing self-learner concept in
order to understand community contexts of power, cultural,
historical, financially relations among community members.
No design of fixed template.
Targeted users: adopted in health professionals and community
organization network, especially in northern region.
Practical methods of utilization: observatory and participatory
assessment and action-reflection approaches on 1) community
life cycle; 2) historical analysis; 3) relations of community
compositions and factors; and 4) analysis of cost(measurable)
and value(immeasurable) in community
Outputs: creation of continuous self learning and community
review, experimental actions on integrated tools, promote
capacity building, knowledge generation through actions
Research findings: Analysis of selective tools(2)
Lessons learned
Strengths:

self learning process, which embedded in community and enhance
community potentials

high flexibility with challenging contexts
Limitations:

limited dissemination due to variation of context based, learning
contract(inner side related), approaches, and experience of users

need facilitators for continuous learning on appropriate tools’
applications in certain community
Facilitating conditions for effective used:

facilitators’ abilities to access community’s perceptions, thoughts
and surrounding environment.

multi-disciplinary adoption, constructive and effective
communicator, and ability for systematic thinking
Research findings: Synthesis on selective tools
Tools
Issues
Strategic Community Based
Route
Research and
Map
Social Mapping
Integrated
tools
+++++
+++
+/-
++
+++(TRF)
++++(Thai Health)
++
Clarification on tool application
by stakeholders at the community
level
++++
++
++
Enhancement of active
community participation with
proactive change agents
++++
++++
++++
Flexibility for various contents of
community development
+++
++++
+++
Visibility (for external view) of the
community outputs/ outcomes
++++
+++
++
Organizational endorsement,
adoption and dissemination
Level of community assessment
contents in toolbox
+++++ highest engagement.+ minimal engagement, +/- uncertain, voluntary engagement
Research findings:
Set of indicators to measure empowered community
Concerning the difference of meaning and
definitions varied to whose perceptions , concepts
of empowerment , and community contexts.
2. However, community members’ definitions on
empowered community count.
3. Set of indicators, which reflect empowered
community could be categorized into 3 groups:
1.



Mechanisms
Contextual facilitating factors
Processes
Research findings:
Set of indicators to measure empowered community
4. Proposed indicators, which reflect empowered
community are
4.1 Availability of either formal or informal active
groups in community.
4.2 Existing of flexible learning processes in
community; internal side, external settings and
apply to their own community development or
other communities.
4.3 Concerns on community information and
utilization management. Community information
should composed of
Research findings:
Set of indicators to measure empowered community






Community settlement: historical, socioeconomic,
ecological , cultural background and current situation in
community.
Physical infrastructures, natural resources and
environment.
Power relations in community(individual, family, group
of people, organizations, networks).
Potentials and functions of leaders, role models,
important persons, managerial persons in community.
External and internal influencing persons, involved
networks, units and organizations toward community
development.
Disadvantage groups, people in needs of health services
and social welfare in community.
Research findings:
Set of indicators to measure empowered community
5. Changes in terms of outputs and/or outcome in
community that reflect community self management
by existing mechanisms within community.
6. Sustainability in community can be preliminary seen
by
 continuous activities by various community groups.
 strong commitment among community members.
 initiative community problems solving projects,
measures, and healthy public policy.
 growing trends or numbers of active persons/groups
and improved mechanisms in community.