Yale University

Urban youths go 3000 miles: engaging and supporting young residents to conduct neighborhood asset mapping.

TitleUrban youths go 3000 miles: engaging and supporting young residents to conduct neighborhood asset mapping.
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2011
AuthorsSantilli, Alycia, Amy Carroll-Scott, Fiona Wong, and Jeannette Ickovics
JournalAmerican journal of public health
Volume101
Issue12
Pagination2207-10
Date Published2011 Dec
ISSN1541-0048
KeywordsAdolescent, Chronic Disease, Community Health Workers, Community-Institutional Relations, Data Collection, Humans, Needs Assessment, Residence Characteristics, Students, Urban Population, Young Adult
AbstractIn 2009, CARE (Community Alliance for Research and Engagement at Yale University) launched a multisectoral chronic disease prevention initiative that conducts baseline data collection, interventions, and follow-up data collection to measure change. Data collection includes asset mapping to assess environmental determinants of chronic disease risk factors in neighborhoods and around schools. CARE hired 7 local high school students to conduct asset mapping; they walked more than 3000 miles and collected 492 data points. Employing youths as community health workers to collect data greatly enriched the community research process and offered many advantages. We were able to efficiently and effectively conduct scientifically rigorous mapping while gaining entry into some of New Haven's most research-wary and skeptical neighborhoods.
DOI10.2105/AJPH.2011.300351
Alternate JournalAm J Public Health

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