Conclusions

Based on our review of the literature, plus discussions with experts in New York and elsewhere, we developed the following list of criteria to describe the usefulness of individual CHAs. The criteria fall into three categories, relating to the CHA content, format, and impact.

CHA document content.

The CHA document:

1. clearly states the goals and purpose of the CHA.
2. includes the most important aspects of the community's health.
3. allows comparisons with data from other communities or other appropriate benchmarks.
4. allows comparisons over time.
5. presents data in meaningful subgroups of population (e.g. to assess health disparities).
6. provides sufficient focus on positive characteristics, e.g., community assets, as well as negative characteristics, e.g., death rates.
7. sufficiently documents the process and methods used to create the CHA.

CHA Document Format.

The CHA document:

1. uses a consistent format to present information on different topics in the report.
2. includes both summary and detailed versions to be useful for a variety of audiences.
3. is well organized; it is easy to find content (e.g., includes table of contents).
4. is easy to understand.
5. clearly indicates the relationships among related health indicators.
6. includes narrative and graphic representation of key findings to meet the needs of varying audiences.
7. uses a similar structure or data elements as other community planning tools that we use.
8. is available online.
   15b. [if yes to 15a] document includes appropriate links.
9. can be reproduced easily by photocopy.
10. clearly identifies data sources (e.g., citations to graphs or tables).

Impact of the CHA document.

The CHA document:

1. serves as a resource to prioritize and plan services.
2. serves as a resource for writing grant applications.
3. serves as a resource to guide a comprehensive health promotion strategy.