Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #106633

Mariana Garrettson, MPH, Heather L. Hart, MPH, and Ann K. Krier, MPH. Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Campus Box 7440, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7440, 570-222-4184, marianag@email.unc.edu

From 1990-2000 the Latino population of Asheboro, North Carolina experienced rapid growth (>2000%). This rapid growth strained local social services and created barriers to access for incoming residents. From October 2003-May 2004, researchers used Action-Oriented Community Diagnosis (AOCD) as a tool to gain understanding of life for Asheboro's Latinos. An AOCD forms a partnership between the community and practitioners to assess community strengths and challenges and develops steps for planned social change. The AOCD consisted of five phases. First, secondary data was gathered on demographics, housing, history and current events. The second phase involved frequent visits to and volunteering in Asheboro. Then, interviews/focus groups were conducted with adult and youth Latino residents (N=41) and service providers (N=27). The interviews were analyzed for common themes in the fourth phase. Finally, a community forum was planned and implemented at which 125 participants discussed themes and developed personal/community action steps. Major themes fell into six categories: language barriers, navigating new service systems, health, and youth, documentation, and racism. Forum participants addressed these topics and created action steps including: educating about personal rights, attending ESL classes, identifying volunteer interpreters, and providing information about accessing services. Based upon the data generated, local decision-making and policy development would benefit Latinos and non-Latinos alike by: increasing outreach by the Latino Coalition, integrating Latino youth into activities, increasing support for youth sports, offering educational health workshops in Spanish, improving ESL Programs, hiring more bilingual staff and interpreters, and regulating costs of non-institutional interpreter services.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, the participant will be able to

• Describe the process of performing an Action-Oriented Community Diagnosis (AOCD).
• Examine the AOCD process as a vehicle for social change at the local level.
• Assess the potential for AOCD data to aid in local decision-making and policy development.

Keywords: Community Participation, Community Health Assessment

Related Web page: www.hsl.unc.edu/PHpapers/Asheboro.pdf

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.

Recorded presentation