Identifying indicators for the evaluation of community interventions and initiatives in a multi-site public health programme

INTRODUCTION: Measuring success of community-level programmes and interventions is important, and indicators can provide valuable information to achieve this. However, identifying appropriate indicators can be challenging. Indicators can be identified by official local stakeholders such as local authorities, but involving communities can add value and trust to the project, with community involvement likely to improve programme sustainability.

METHODS: As part of the evaluation of multi-site community initiatives, we used local health profiles to identify core indicators that overlapped sites. In addition, we engaged with members of the community during a pilot data collection training day to identify issues they identified as important for measuring health and well-being locally.

RESULTS: A total of 313 indicators were identified from local profiles, with 31 indicators meeting inclusion criteria. The community identified 26 issues, collated into eight categories, only three of which were identified in core indicators. Tools were sourced or created for the other community-identified categories.

DISCUSSION: The methodology identified validated indicators comparable across all sites, based on local health profiles. It also identified tools for measuring issues identified by members of the community. The exercise demonstrated disconnect between priorities of official bodies, researchers and communities, indicating multiple approaches should be considered when evaluating community initiatives.