Websites

Assessing Community Needs and Resources - Community Toolbox For information on ways to "promote community health and development by connecting people, ideas, and resources" access the Community Toolbox at http://ctb.ku.edu. *

Also found within this site is a section on assessing community needs and resources which includes sections on developing a plan for identifying local needs and resources, conducting public forums and listening sessions, analyzing community problems, conducting focus groups and needs assessment/concerns surveys, conducting interviews and much more. Assessing Community Needs/Resources Section of Community Tool Box is located at http://ctb.ku.edu/tools/tk/en/tools_tk_2.jsp. *

ATSDR: A Primer on Health Risk Communication Principles and Practices The purpose of this primer is to provide a framework of principles and approaches for the communications of health risk information to diverse audiences. It is intended for ATSDR staff and personnel from other government agencies and private organizations who must respond to public concerns about exposures to hazardous substances in the environment. However, it contains guidelines for health risk communication, information about presentations at public meetings, and information about working with the media that are generalizable to other areas. http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/HEC/primer.html

Best Practices Information The Best Practices Ad Hoc Committee in the GSA Office of Government-wide Policy developed principles to help initiate the Best Practices Program and identify "best practices." The Best Practices Principles are described at http://www.itpolicy.gsa.gov/.

Building Coalitions Fact Sheet Produced by Ohio State University Extension, this site contains information on needs assessments, mobilizing the community, working with diverse cultures, and much more. Access Coalition Fact Sheet Index at http://www.ag.ohio-state.edu/~ohioline/bc-fact/index.html. *

Building Online Communities: Transforming Assumptions Into Success "Build it and they will come" is a common assumption that leads many non-profits to shortchange their planning and staffing efforts when establishing an online discussion group or e-mail listserv. If you want to make good use of interactivity, you will find here a list of common pitfalls and practical tips for defining an online community’s purpose, moderating a discussion, and locating free software to help manage discussion groups. You’ll find Building Online Communities at http://www.benton.org/publibrary/practice/community/assumptions.html. *

Clear and Simple: Developing Effective Print Materials for Low-Literate Readers From the National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute, this site contains information about defining the target audience(s), conducting target audience research, developing a concept for the product, developing content and visuals, presenting and revision of draft materials, other resources, etc. Clear and Simple is located at http://cancer.gov/cancerinformation/clearandsimple or at Clear_n_Simple.pdf (PDF 220K).

Cultural Competence Initiative This site, of the American Medical Association, contains a Cultural Competency Compendium with 460 pages organized into 10 sections. Access Cultural Competence Initiative at http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/category/6758.html. *

Framework for Program Evaluation in Public Health The Framework for Program Evaluation in Public Health was developed to summarize and organize the essential elements of program evaluations; provide a framework for conducting effective program evaluations; clarify the steps in program evaluation; review standards for effective program evaluation; and address misconceptions regarding the purpose and methods of program evaluation. Step 1 in the Program Evaluation section of the publication describes the engaging of stakeholders. Not only will this section be helpful in the identification process of your own stakeholders, but also it will contribute to the evaluation process of your program. You may access the Framework for Program Evaluation in Public Health at http://www.cdc.gov/eval/framework.htm.

FreeTranslation.com FreeTranslation.com is an easy-to-use site for rapid translations, and for which the subscription is free. It is intended for general purpose use, and the dictionaries are not tuned for specific language or terminology of any industry. However, the Enterprise Translation Server can be customized to produce tuned translations. Access FreeTranslation.com at http://www.freetranslation.com/.

Guidelines: Writing for Adults with Limited Reading Skills This site was developed by Nancy Gaston and Patricia Daniels. These guidelines are intended to help in preparing written materials for adults with limited reading skills. The site includes information on knowing the audience, deciding on and organizing the message(s), illustration, formatting, pretesting, and readability. Access these guidelines at http://www.cyfernet.org/research/writeadult.html. *

Healthy People 2010 Toolkit You can access the partnership section of Healthy People 2010 Toolkit at http://www.health.gov/healthypeople/state/toolkit/partners.htm.

Office of Human Subjects Research Protections Ethical issues are embedded in all facets of intervention. Any attempt to intervene, even with the best of intentions, carries with it ethical decisions and moral dilemmas. For information regarding ethical issues, begin with the Department of Health and Human Service’s Office for Human Research Protections (OHRP) which is located at http://www.hhs.gov/ohrp/.

Planned Approach to Community Health (PATCH) The Planned Approach to Community Health (PATCH), developed by the CDC and its partners, is widely recognized as an effective model for planning, conducting, and evaluating community health promotion and disease prevention programs. It is used by diverse communities in the United States and several nations to address a variety of health concerns such as cardiovascular disease, HIV, Injuries, teen pregnancy, and access to health care. The PATCH Guide contains "how to" information on the process, things to consider when adapting the process to your community, and sample overheads and handout materials. You’ll find PATCH at http://wonder.cdc.gov/wonder/prevguid/p0000064/p0000064.asp.

Precede-Proceed Model The goals of the Precede-Proceed Model of health promotion program are to explain health-related behaviors and to design and evaluate the intervention designated to influence both the behaviors and the living conditions that influence them and their sequelae. This model has been applied, tested, studied, extended and verified in hundreds of published studies and thousands of unpublished projects in community, schools, clinical, and workplace settings over the last decade. To access further information about Precede-Proceed go to http://hsc.usf.edu/~kmbrown/PRECEDE_PROCEED_Overview.htm. *

Readability Formulas This site describes the Flesch Readability Formula, the Gunning Fog Index, and the Dale-Chall Formula at http://csep.psyc.memphis.edu/cohmetrix/readabilityresearch.htm. *

Scientific and Technical Information: Simply Put Tips for creating easy-to-read print materials your audience will want to read and use. Locate Simply Put at http://www.cdc.gov/od/oc/simpput.pdf (PDF 3,074K)

SMOG Readability Formula The SMOG Readability Formula is a simple method you can use to determine the reading level of your written materials. This site is an adaptation from the Journal of Reading. Access the SMOG Readability Formula at http://www.med.utah.edu/pated/authors/readability.html. *

Documents

Competencies Phone Survey Competencies_Phone_Survey.pdf (PDF 368K)

Concept Testing Report Concept_Testing_Report.pdf (PDF 962K)

Concept Toplines Concept_Toplines.pdf (PDF 32K)

Concept Report Concept_Testing_Report.pdf (PDF 962K)

A Guide to Making Documents Accessible to People Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired http://www.acb.org/accessible-formats.html *

Hepatitis C Concept Testing Hep_C_Concept_Testing.pdf (PDF 212K)

Hepatitis C Message Testing Hep_C_Message_Testing.pdf (PDF 193K)

Simply Put simpput.pdf (PDF 3,074K)

Bibliographies

Bertrand, JT. Communications Pretesting. Media Monographs 6, Communications Laboratory, Community and Family Study Center, University of Chicago, 1978.

Doak CC. Teaching Patients with Low Literacy Skills. J.B. Lippincott Co., Philadelphia, 1985.

Flesh R. How to Test Readability. New York, Harper and Brothers. 1951

McAdams, K. Readability Reconsidered: A Reaction to Fog Indexes. Newspaper Research Journal, Volume 13-14 (1993) Issue 4, Pages 50-59.

McLaughlin GH. "SMOG Grading: A New Readability Formula." Journal of Reading, Vol. 12, No 8 (May 1969), p.639-46.

National Cancer Institute. Readability Testing in Cancer Communities. Reprinted in June 1981 by the Office of Cancer Communications, National Cancer Institute. Bethesda, MD.

Pit, DW (Ed) Audiovisual Communications Handbook. Peace Corps contract 25-1701, Audio Visual Center, I.U., Bloomington, IN 1976. Available from World Neighbors, 5116 North Portland Avenue, Oklahoma City, OK 73112.

Pretesting in Health Communications: Methods, Examples and Resources for Improving Health Messages and Materials. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD. NIH Publication No. 83-1493, Revised Dec. 1982.