Data to Action to address health and social inequities in Oakland's City County Neighborhood Partnership

In Alameda County, higher rates of disease are observed in low-income neighborhoods independently of a wide range of demographic, behavioral, social, psychological, and health characteristics. As in other parts of the country, neighborhood of residence has been linked to all-cause mortality, cause-specific mortality, coronary heart disease, low birth weight, perceived health status and rates of violent crime. People of color are significantly more likely than whites to live in low-income neighborhoods. African-Americans in Alameda County are 10 times more likely than Whites to live in neighborhoods where greater than 20% of the residents are poor.

To marshal the resources necessary to address health and social inequities since 2004, the Alameda County Public Health Department (ACPHD) has coordinated a community-led, multi-component intervention designed to build political, social, and economic power within low-income communities of color, starting with two Oakland neighborhoods. ACPHD has conducted evaluation research to inform community priorities for social action, develop “best practices” for the intervention and to contribute to a growing body of evidence worldwide that community capacity building (CCB) efforts can improve neighborhood conditions, health status and disparities. The CCB evaluation follows “data to action” steps: 1) household surveys every three years to identify neighborhood assets, needs and priorities and to measure change in neighborhood social capital over time; 2) surveys to measure youth resiliency and risk factors and to ensure youth participation; 3) Community Forums to discuss survey results and identify community priorities; 4) ongoing program evaluation, data collection/analysis and presentations to stakeholders, including residents, elected officials and policymakers.