ABSTRACT
Communities can be categorized by a variety of factors. Often, definitions of community differ among scholars and public health experts. This paper describes many of the common community analysis methods used to better understand and support communities as they engage in change to improve health. These methods range from using data that already exists, to gathering new data to help to determine what is necessary and useful in efforts to improve health in a community. Some of the methods discussed in the chapter are various types of interviews (e.g., key informant, general public, and group), observations, and community meetings. These methods differ in their level of difficulty and time required to apply them. The chapter also includes approaches used to analyze the data obtained via the use of the aforementioned methods. In addition, the chapter provides examples of how such methods can be used to inform community activities. The chapter concludes with thoughts about how to look for resources to conduct community analysis.
