A construct for building the capacity of community-based initiatives in racial and ethnic communities: a qualitative cross-case analysis.
OBJECTIVE
This article reports on a qualitative study that contrasts implementation patterns across community-based public health initiatives, resulting in a construct for building the capacity of such initiatives in racial and ethnic communities. By specifying which capacities provide optimum leverage, community initiatives may increase precision in developing intervention strategies that are pivotal in producing desired outcomes.


METHODS
Cross-case comparisons were made on the basis of intensive interviews with key initiative leaders.


RESULTS
Several capacities distinguish highly successful initiatives from those that had greater difficulty in realizing their goals. Leadership was the most important distinguishing capacity. Organizing capacity, or the propensity to provide structure, operational procedures, oversight, and activity formation, was also critical in leveraging community action and desired outcomes.


CONCLUSIONS
The study concludes that developing high levels of community capacity where it can produce the most strategic advantage is a promising pathway for mitigating antagonistic social factors.
School of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA. rmg@indiana.edu
Robert M
RM
Goodman
D019058:Community Networks / Q000458:organization & administration*; D005006:Ethnicity; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D044469:Racial Groups; D014481:United States