Community Assessment Title Prepared by Date Sponsoring agency and other acknowledgements

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Table of ContentsExecutive Summary.....................................................................................................................................3

Introduction.................................................................................................................................................4

Background Information..........................................................................................................................4

Determinants...........................................................................................................................................4

Data Collection Process...........................................................................................................................4

Other Relevant Information....................................................................................................................5

Findings.......................................................................................................................................................5

Community Overview..............................................................................................................................5

Societal Consequences............................................................................................................................6

Problem Behaviors..................................................................................................................................6

Determinants...........................................................................................................................................7

Implications and Interpretations.............................................................................................................7

Conclusion and Recommendations.............................................................................................................8

Appendices..................................................................................................................................................9

In Word, I went to the References Tab, and clicked Table of Contents. It is now automatically generated for you (based off of the headings that follow), and you can simply update it

before submission (by clicking “Update Table”)

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Executive Summary Briefly summarize (usually best to do last):

Purpose and use of the report Key findings and recommendations Focus on consequences

If people read only one page of your report, it will be the executive summary. What do you need them to know?

Ideal length is one page, but it should be less than two. Start your introduction on a new page.

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Introduction

Background Information This report is meant to illustrate the problems and highlight what is going on in your

community. The data in this report should set the stage for the resources you will be looking at (in the CRA), which will help you identify a comprehensive community action plan (CAP), which you will then narrow down to the funded workplan of your (various) grants. You should be clear on this purpose as you write your report—and if it would help keep you grounded; you can discuss this building process in the introduction. However, don’t get caught up in explaining the reports!

You’ll want to include a brief description of the coalition(s) or efforts in your community. This information should be concise—you’re only providing a backdrop. This isn’t the data you want to focus on for this report.

If you want to provide additional community context, you may want to include some background on your community. For example, you might want to include demographic information, the type of community (rural, urban center, suburban area), the major industries or employers and the overall economic state of the community.

Determinants

This section should focus on the prevention science that guides your community’s data analysis and prioritization. This may mean explaining the concept of Youth Risk and Protective Factors through the Indiana Youth Survey or the existing contributing factors in your community through other data sources.

o Risk factors (specifically those associated with youth’s use) are characteristics of an individual, family, school, or community environment that are associated with increases in the development of problem behaviors. While they also exist across the lifespan, most of the risk factor data available in Indiana relates to the youth and college survey.

o Protective Factors are associated with reducing potential for problem behaviors by buffering risk factors experienced by individuals.

o Contributing factors are attitudes, behaviors, and other characteristics associated with a likelihood of the health behavior increasing or decreasing. Such contributing factors can be found through enforcement, laws, community norms, promotion, price, availability, etc.

You need to be clear here, but don’t want to get caught up in this section—you want to lay the framework for them to see how you’re grounded in science, but the bulk of the paper is about your local data.

For more information on this, see the tables in the appendix.

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Data Collection Process Include a description of the data-collection process and the prioritization process. Discuss

what sources were used, how the data was gathered, and the process your community used to determine the priority risk factors and strengths.

Other Relevant Information IF you have other relevant information (pertinent background information readers should

know, obstacles encountered in collecting data, explaining any data that is missing, etc.) it should be included here.

If at all possible, try to keep your Introduction under 3 pages.

Findings

Community Overview You will need to include a logic model highlighting priority consequences, behaviors, and

determinants. Use this to give an overview of all of the data collected that is being reported on. This is your Community Needs Assessment/Snapshot, which will be used to highlight data for your community throughout the next year. This should only include the most recent data available, not trend data from the past few years.

Consequences Behaviors DeterminantsLegal104 juveniles were arrested in 2014;

Drug Abuse Violations – 31, Possession of Marijuana – 12, Liquor Law Violations – 36, Curfew & Loitering Violations – 14 (2014 UCR)

Social26% of 8th grade students have been driven by someone under the influence, 40% of 10th graders have been driven by someone under the influence. (2014, INYS)

Health(etc. look for data from hospitals, CountyHealthRankings.org, SEOW, etc.)

Financial(etc. look for data related to economic areas, poverty, percent receiving free and

Substance abuse14.2% of 8th graders reported

monthly use of alcohol (2014 INYS)

School dropoutCommunity graduation rate is 70%, compared to Indiana rate of 75% (2014 Department of Ed).

Depression and anxiety30% of 10th graders reported feeling sad or hopeless in the past year (2014 INYS)7% reported attempting suicide at least once in the past year (2014 INYS)

Gambling55% of 12th graders report participating in gambling activity in the past year (2014 INYS)

Violenceetc…

Delinquency

Contributing Factors73% of 12th graders believe it is easy or fairly easy to access alcohol (2014 INYS).

Risk FactorsThe number of 8th graders at risk for family conflict and poor family management issues is greater than that of other communities across the nation (63% at high risk; 2014 INYS).

The number of 10th graders at risk for favorable attitudes towards substance use is greater than that of other communities across the nation (55% at high risk; 2014 INYS).

Protective FactorsYouth are at low protection for School Rewards for Prosocial Involvement compared to their peers across the nation

8th Grade – 63%10th Grade – 63%

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reduced lunch, etc.) etc…

Teen pregnancyetc…

12th Grade – 62% (2014, INYS)

**You can include any citations you need below this table (or clarification of abbreviations here).

You should also provide a few sentences highlighting some of the data in the table, it is not necessary for this to be lengthy, as that’s what the next few sections are for.

Societal Consequences Readers need more than numbers – provide a narrative to explain the consequences column

of your logic model. o Where did the data come from and what does it mean? (Is it from local law

enforcement and needs context? Is it from the SEOW and needs explanation as to what the numbers mean?)

o Is any data missing that is needed? o Do you cover all aspects of the lifespan (not just adults) where possible?

You would also want to highlight any information you have about the direction the data is going (the trend) in both a table and narrative format:

Societal Consequences 2012 2013 2014

Juveniles Arrested 150 Arrested; 120 Substance related

(2012 UCR)

125 Arrested; 90 Substance related

(2013 UCR)

104 Arrested; 79 Substance related

(2014 UCR)Youth Driven by Someone Under the Influence

50% of 8th grade students have been driven by someone under the

influence, 60% of 10th graders have been driven

by someone under the influence. (2014, INYS)

25% of 8th grade students have been driven by someone under the

influence, 30% of 10th graders have been driven

by someone under the influence. (2014, INYS)

26% of 8th grade students have been driven by someone under the

influence, 40% of 10th graders have been driven

by someone under the influence. (2014, INYS)

Data Point(s), etc.

Your narrative for the trend table would discuss if anything appears to be improving or getting worse. Remember, this is the data that people often care about—this is the harm they see in the community. You want to present the data here, and explain the behaviors that cause it in the next section.

Problem Behaviors Again, readers need more than numbers – provide a narrative to explain the behavior

column of your logic model. o Where did the data come from and what does it mean? (Is it from the INYS or

College Survey? Is it from the SEOW and needs explanation as to what the numbers mean?)

o Is any data missing that is needed?

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o Do you cover all aspects of the lifespan (not just youth)? You would also want to highlight any information you have about the direction the data is

going (the trend) in both a table and narrative format:

Problem Behavior 2012 2013 201430 Day Alcohol Use 15% of 8th graders

reported monthly use of alcohol (2012 INYS)

15% of 8th graders reported monthly use of

alcohol (2013 INYS)

14% of 8th graders reported monthly use of

alcohol (2014 INYS)Gambling 40% of 12th graders

report participating in gambling activity in the past year (2012 INYS)

50% of 12th graders report participating in gambling activity in the past year (2013 INYS)

55% of 12th graders report participating in gambling activity in the past year (2014 INYS)

Data point(s), etc.

Your narrative for the trend table would discuss if anything appears to be improving or getting worse. Remember, these are the behaviors that are happening that are causing the harm to the society you set up above. However, in order to make changes to behaviors and consequences, we have to focus on the underlying determinants that affect them…

Determinants Include the data gathered on the risk and protective factors and any other intervening

variables/contributing factors. Present the overall risk- and protective-factor profile/data, and leave the prioritization

process for the next section You would also want to highlight any information you have about the direction the data is

going (the trend) in both a table and narrative format:

Determinant 2012 2013 2014Access to Alcohol 56% of 12th graders

believe it is easy or fairly easy to access alcohol (2012 INYS).

60% of 12th graders believe it is easy or fairly easy to access alcohol (2013 INYS).

73% of 12th graders believe it is easy or fairly easy to access alcohol (2014 INYS).

Family Conflict 53% of 8th graders are at high risk for family conflict (2012 INYS).

56% of 8th graders are at high risk for family conflict (2013 INYS).

63% of 8th graders are at high risk for family conflict (2014 INYS).

etc.

Your narrative for the trend table would discuss if anything appears to be improving or getting worse, leaving the prioritization process/discussion for the next section.

Implications and Interpretations The Community Assessment Report should include a narrative that interprets the data and

explains how you reached your conclusions about community priorities and strengths. Provide any (needed) additional interpretation from the above data. At this point, your

community snapshot should be clear.

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Discuss the implications and prioritization of Determinants and the direction the community is going to focus efforts.

This will be the bulk of your report; it needs to be as long as necessary to get the information across, but keep it reasonable, as you want people to read it!

Conclusion and Recommendations Briefly summarize key findings and identified priority risk/protective factors Discuss any next steps, or simply wrap up the report (do not just end!)

This should be one page or less (use bullet points if needed!)

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Appendices References, Acknowledgements, Supporting data, etc. Other relevant information

o Appendices include any supplemental information that may be useful to some readers but is not included in the report itself. For example, appendices might include a list of references, acknowledgements of those who helped complete the risk- and protective-factor assessment, supporting data, or other relevant background information that doesn’t belong in the report itself.

More Information on Determinants

Determinants are factors that contribute to or cause a health behavior to occur. Determinants can be contributing factors, risk factors, or protective factors. Many risk and protective factors can be measured via the Indiana Youth Survey.

Contributing Factors: Contributing Factors are attitudes, behaviors, and other characteristics associated with a likelihood of the health behavior.

Contributing Factors Visible enforcement Laws Community norms Promotion

Price Retail Availability (TRIP and

SAC ) Social availability Use beliefs

Family, school, and peer influence Context Perceived risk of arrest Community concern about harm

Risk Factors (Youth): Risk factors are characteristics of an individual, family, school, or community environment that are associated with increases in the development of problem behaviors (alcohol and other drug use, delinquency, teen pregnancy, school dropout and violence) among youth and adolescents.

Community (C) Family (F) School (S) Individual/Peer (IP) Availability of drugs Availability of firearms Community laws and norms

favorable toward drug use, firearms, and crime

Media portrayals of violence Transitions and mobility Low neighborhood

attachment and community disorganization

Extreme economic deprivation

Family history of the problem behavior

Family management problems

Family conflict

Favorable parental attitudes and involvement in the problem behavior

Academic failure beginning in late elementary school

Lack of commitment to school

Early and persistent antisocial behavior

Rebelliousness Friends who engage in

the problem behavior Favorable attitudes

toward the problem behavior

Early initiation of the problem behavior

Constitutional factors

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Protective Factors (Youth): Protective factors are associated with reducing potential for problem behaviors by mitigating the effects of risk factors. Protective factors are related to family, social, psychological and behavioral characteristics that provide a buffer to risk factors for young people.

Protective factors Individual characteristics Opportunities

Skills Recognition

Bonding Healthy beliefs and clear standards

Use the table below to check to see if you included everything!

Content Is it included?Cover Page Title and Contact InformationTable of Contents Linked Table of Contents (allowing the reader to jump around) OR Correct page numbers for sections (at a minimum)Executive Summary Purpose of the Report Key Findings/Recommendations Societal ConsequencesIntroduction Community Background Risk and Protective Factor (what they mean) Data collection and Prioritization Process Other Relevant InformationFindings Community Overview/Needs Assessment Logic Model Problem Behavior/Consequences Narrative Risk/Protective Factor Narrative Implications and InterpretationsConclusion and Recommendations Summary of Key Findings Next Steps

Report Basics Did you do it?Visuals/Graphs Included Where Appropriate

All data points were cited/referenced

Data were correctly interpreted and presentedData were explained (indicator definitions were provided, as was any necessary background on the data)

Any text not written by the community was cited/referenced

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