Preparing Health Educators to Assets Map: The interface between assessment training and the practice of building community capacity through assets

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Preparing Health Educators to Assets Map The
interface between assessment training and the
practice of building community capacity through
assets
Micky D. Roberts, M.Div., CHES Bobby
Abdolrasulnia, MPH, CHES Katherine M. Anderson,
MS, CHES
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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 currently not utilized in
  preparing public health educators for practice.

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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 community-developed
  approaches to prevention. Assets Mapping is one
  of those emerging techniques.

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• 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)

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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).

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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 assets of
institutions.
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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.

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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 (n184) with
  frequencies established based upon replies
  (n52) that were received. Therefore the response
  rate was 28.3. Information is not available for
  comparing
• respondents with non respondents.

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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.

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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.

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Results
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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 Kretzmans 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.

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Discussion Contd

• 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 communitys or
  coalitions 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.

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Acknowledgements

• Kretzman, J.P., McKnight, J.L. (1993). Building
  communities from the inside out A path toward
  finding and mobilizing a communitys 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.