Community Health Analysis

Prerequisites: Completion of all core courses

Examine the health of your community and how you can make it better.

When we use the term “public health,” what does it really mean? How are community health programs developed? How are needs assessed and proper plans put into place? In PBHL 6898 Community Health Analysis, you will examine the scope of community health, learning how to analyze a community’s health needs and how programs go from concept to reality.

In this course, you’ll learn how a formalized community health plan in public health is developed, as you explore aspects of strategic planning and health assessment.

You’ll get hands-on experience by selecting a community and developing a health assessment and improvement plan specifically for the one you have chosen, drawing on your learning from previous classes, as well as this course. You’ll share your progress with fellow classmates and your professor through weekly discussions, enhancing your learning experience and expanding your knowledge of the many factors of public health analysis and planning.

What You’ll Learn in PBHL 6898

This course explores how data is collected in a community health initiative and how to set priorities for improving the health of a defined population. You will learn the different steps of community organization and differentiate the strategies between community organization models. You’ll also explore funding and sustainability issues and the potential value of technology in reaching communities.

PBHL 6898 involves fieldwork and utilization of research skills. You will analyze and address community health problems through a structured approach, synthesizing core public health competencies. This culminating experience requires the synthesis and integration of knowledge from previous coursework.

Course Topics

Throughout this course, weekly topics may include but are not limited to:

• Overview of the Community Health Assessment and Planning Process
• Organizing For Success: Partnerships, Systems, & Visioning
• Assessing the Community’s Health: Health Indicators & Issues
• Assessing the Community’s Health: Assets
• Analyzing Problems and Setting Priorities
• Identifying Strategies and Setting Goals and Objectives
• Developing an Action Cycle
• Issues in Community Health Improvement

Course Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of PBHL 6898 Community Health Analysis, you will be able to:

• Understand the importance and impact of community on health outcomes.
• Define key concepts in community health analysis, including what comprises a health community, sense of community, community capacity and empowerment.
• Describe various models used in large-scale community assessments (e.g. MAPP, APEXPH, etc.)
• Become familiar with the purpose and requirements of the Illinois Project for Local Assessment of Needs.
• Understand how to use the MAPP process for community-oriented health assessment and planning.
• Describe and utilize methods of primary and secondary data for community health analysis.
• Identify sources of secondary data and resources to assist in the process of community health analysis.
• Prepare an analysis of community health status and develop plans to address health improvements.
• Understand the underlying challenges when conducting community health assessment and planning, including developing and sustaining health behavior change.

Request More Information

To learn more about the online Master of Public Health curriculum from Benedictine University, including Community Health Analysis, call (866) 295-3104 to speak with a program manager or request more information.

Programs that include this course