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Measuring community competence in the Mississippi Delta: the interface between program evaluation and empowerment
1Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, School of Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill 27599.
Health Education Quarterly
|January 1, 1994
Summary
Health promotion programs can empower communities by focusing on political dynamics. An action research evaluation in the Mississippi Delta showed increased external community competence but decreased internal conflict management.
Area of Science:
- Community Health
- Health Promotion
- Action Research
Background:
- Defining community to include political dynamics enhances health promotion potential.
- Empowering communities is as crucial as direct health improvement.
- Focus on a rural, impoverished Mississippi Delta county.
Purpose of the Study:
- Evaluate health promotion methods using an action research approach.
- Align evaluation with the program's community empowerment goals.
- Collaboratively define and measure community competence.
Main Methods:
- Action research to avoid interfering with empowerment agenda.
- Collaborative relationships between evaluators, service providers, community leaders, and program staff.
- Defined eight dimensions of community competence and developed data collection protocols.
Main Results:
- Community competence shifted from internal social interactions to external mediation with institutions.
- Measures of self-other awareness and conflict containment decreased significantly.
- Data used to facilitate dialogue on confronting systemic issues.
Conclusions:
- Health promotion programs defining community politically can foster external engagement.
- Action research is suitable for empowerment-focused health initiatives.
- Balancing external mediation with internal cohesion requires further attention.