Community capacity dimensions influencing success of local initiatives: The importance of reflexivity

Comprised of various dimensions, community capacity is recognized as a set of characteristics that enable communities to address local health issues.  The Center for Community Health Development (CCHD) at the Texas A&M School of Public Health, a Prevention Research Center, has partnered with rural communities in the Brazos Valley, Texas for the past 13 years to conduct community-based participatory research.  CCHD’s research utilizes a community health development approach, which seeks to improve population health status and build community capacity.  A three-year comparative multiple case study, involving four rural communities, sought to understand which aspects of community capacity were necessary and sufficient for communities to use their capacity as a resource to improve community health.  The study observed community organization, planning, and implementation processes aimed at increasing access to opportunities for physical activity.  Each community’s focus was different, and the types of projects varied.  Researchers used qualitative data to evaluate the project and document the type and level of capacity within each community.  Results of the case study analysis indicate the importance of commonly cited dimensions of capacity such as leadership and participation; however, the most critical dimension identified through the analysis was reflexivity—a community’s ability to reflect on its activities and outcomes, then apply lessons learned to future activities.  Reflexivity at the community level goes beyond individual participants, suggesting that it is an emergent property manifested in community culture. This finding is important because by enhancing local reflexivity processes, communities can learn to better address local health issues.