Resources
Suggested Bookshelf for Community Nutrition Assessment Projects
Bendich A, Deckelbaum R.J. (Eds). Preventive Nutrition: The Comprehensive Guide for Health Professionals. 1997. Humana Press, Inc. Totowa, NJ.
Makes an excellent case for the value of nutrition in the prevention of morbidity and mortality due to several disease conditions. Chapters are authored by experts in each field and present the public health implications of preventive nutrition for various cancers, cardiovascular disease, cataracts and macular degeneration, osteoporosis, immune function, and birth outcomes.
Dignan MB, Carr PA. Program Planning for Health Education and Promotion. 2nd Ed. 1992. Lea & Febinger. Malvern, PA.
Strong emphasis on community analysis and diagnosis as well as targeted assessment to identify important attributes of the target population. Provides model of integrating qualitative and quantitative information in assessment process, and descriptions of several qualitative methods.
Dillman DA. Mail and Telephone Surveys: The Total Design Method. 1978. John Wiley and Sons, Inc.
This classic step by step guide to doing population based surveys claims to get the best response rates by making the right decisions every step of the way. Very helpful to those who are just starting to do survey type work.
Krueger RA. Focus Groups: A practical Guide for Applied Research. 2nd Ed. 1994 Sage Publications. Thousand Oaks, CA.
Step by step guide to planning, conducting, and compiling the results
from focus groups. In 1998 Krueger and colleagues published a series of
books on focus groups, collectively referred to as the "Focus Group Kit."
All the books are available from Sage Publications. http://www.sagepub.com/
They include:
Monsen E (Ed). Research: Successful Approaches. 1992. American Dietetics Association. Chicago, IL.
- The Focus Group Handbook
- Planning Focus Groups
- Developing Questions for Focus Groups
- Moderating Focus Groups
- Involving Community Members in Focus Groups
- Analyzing and Reporting Focus Group Results
Several key chapters in this book provide important understanding
of qualitative and quantitative techniques. Authors wrote with the practicing
health professional in mind, so that information is detailed enough to
be useful, but not highly technical. Excellent references at the end of
the chapter provide sources of more detailed information. Chapters that
will be useful in community assessment include:
| Descriptive Epidemiologic Research | Bettylou Sherry, PhD, RD |
| The Components and Use of Qualitative Research | Cheryl L. Achterberg, PhD and Sandra K. Shepherd, PhD, RD |
| Qualitative Research Methodology: Data Collection, Analysis, Interpretation, and Verification | Sandra K. Shepherd, PhD, RD and Cheryl L. Achterberg |
| Design and Use of Questionnaires in Research | Judy Perkin DrPH, RD |
| Dietary Intake Methodology | Jean Hankin, DrPH, RD |
| Interpretation and Utilization of Data From the National Nutrition Monitoring System | Catherine E. Woteki, PhD, RD and Faye L. Wong, MPH, RD |
Probert KL (Ed). Moving to the Future: Developing Community Based Nutrition Services. Washington, DC. Association of State and Territorial Public Health Nutrition Directors. 1996.
Provides overview of community nutrition program planning including the community assessment process, writing goals and objectives, planning interventions and evaluation. Appendices include useful content on defining public health and the role of public health nutrition. Excellent references for further reading and annotated bibliography on model for developing community health plans.
Probert KL. Moving to the Future: Developing Community-Based Nutrition Services (Workbook and Training Manual). Washington, DC. Association of State and Territorial Public Health Nutrition Directors. 1997.
Workbook and manual to accompany the book above. Includes worksheets to guide the process of program development from the assessment to the evaluation stage. This publication is designed to be used to train local public health practitioners in the process, and includes protocols and suggestions for this training.
Both of these books are available through ASTPHND at 1015 Fifteenth Street, NW, Suite 403, Washington, DC, 20005. Phone: 202-408-1257, FAX 202-408-1259.
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