The Community Guide Toolkit

LEARN HOW THE COMMUNITY GUIDE CAN MAKE THE LHD WORKER’S JOB EASIER

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THE
COMMUNITY
GUIDE &
THE RESOURCE
CENTER

This site is part of a suite of resources that belong to NACCHO's Resource Center for Evidence-Based Prevention and Cross Sector Approaches.


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Click any Step above to Integrate Evidence into Your Prevention Efforts

Step 2:

Write a Problem Statement

Once you’ve consulted your Community Health Assessment and Improvement Plan, write a problem statement that summarizes your community’s primary public health concerns and prevention priorities. The problem statement can be used in later program planning stages to help you select appropriate evidence-based intervention strategies.

To begin setting priorities, determine which factors most affect your community’s vision for health, the immediacy of identified issues, and identify a manageable number of issues to address. You can also arrange identified issues in order of importance to further prioritize them. Once you’ve determined your priorities, you should summarize them in a problem statement.

Effective problem statements paint a clear picture of the primary health concerns in your community in clear and concise language. It should also include a description of the community’s long-term vision, the health problem to be addressed, the target population affected, socioecological determinants compounding the issue, key stakeholders involved, the historical context of the health problem, and opportunities/priorities for prevention.

You can use the following questions to guide the development of your problem statement:

  • What is the health problem?
  • Who is affected?
  • What are the risk factors?
  • What social, individual, policy, environmental, or other factors are involved?
  • How do the issues impact the community’s long-term vision?
  • What are the prevention opportunities?
  • Who are the potential stakeholders?

To download a sample problem statement, visit http://cg.naccho.org and click the resources tab.

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Links to Helpful Tools

  • Download a Sample Problem Statement
    Learn More
  • Visit NACCHO’s MAPP Site to Learn How to Prioritize Prevention Efforts
    Learn More
    For more information, contact Brandie Adams, MPH at