CSP Community Assessment & Intervention 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A practitioner conducting a participatory action research (PAR) project must ensure community members are:
- Treated as passive subjects who provide data only
- Co-investigators who shape research questions, methods, and use of findings (Correct answer)
- Compensated with financial incentives for completing surveys
- Shielded from preliminary findings to avoid bias
Correct answer: Co-investigators who shape research questions, methods, and use of findings
PAR is distinguished by genuine co-ownership: community members collaborate in designing, conducting, analyzing, and acting on the research.
Question 2: In community assessment, 'windshield surveys' are used to:
- Measure traffic patterns and transportation access
- Gather observational data on physical and social conditions by systematically driving or walking through a community (Correct answer)
- Conduct drive-through interviews with residents
- Assess wind energy potential for sustainability planning
Correct answer: Gather observational data on physical and social conditions by systematically driving or walking through a community
Windshield surveys provide systematic observational data on housing conditions, public spaces, resources, and social activity visible from the street.
Question 3: Which community intervention approach uses trained community members to deliver health education and social support to their peers?
- Medicalization model
- Community health worker / lay health advisor model (Correct answer)
- Clinical case management model
- Bureaucratic referral model
Correct answer: Community health worker / lay health advisor model
Community health workers and lay health advisors leverage trusted insider status to bridge professional services and underserved community members.
Question 4: A sociological practitioner wants to assess whether a food desert intervention changed residents' food access behaviors. Which research design provides the strongest causal evidence?
- Cross-sectional survey conducted after the intervention
- Qualitative focus groups with satisfied program participants
- Quasi-experimental pre-test/post-test design with a comparison community (Correct answer)
- Expert opinion from nutritionists
Correct answer: Quasi-experimental pre-test/post-test design with a comparison community
A quasi-experimental pre-post design with a comparison group controls for temporal trends and confounds, providing stronger causal inference than post-only or qualitative designs.
Question 5: When a community intervention program shows positive outcomes only for White participants but not for residents of color, the practitioner should FIRST:
- Conclude the program is effective and scale it up
- Disaggregate outcome data by race and investigate differential program reach and cultural fit (Correct answer)
- Remove race as a variable to avoid controversy
- Attribute the disparity to individual motivation differences
Correct answer: Disaggregate outcome data by race and investigate differential program reach and cultural fit
Disaggregating data by race and examining differential reach, recruitment, and cultural appropriateness is essential for identifying and addressing equity gaps.
Question 6: The concept of 'community readiness' in intervention planning refers to:
- The financial capacity of a community to fund programs
- A community's existing stage of awareness, motivation, and capacity to address a specific issue (Correct answer)
- The number of trained professionals available in an area
- Legal authorization from municipal government to implement programs
Correct answer: A community's existing stage of awareness, motivation, and capacity to address a specific issue
Community readiness models (e.g., Tri-Ethnic Center model) assess stages from no awareness to professionalization to match intervention intensity to community capacity.
Question 7: A practitioner is designing an intervention to address domestic violence in an immigrant community. Culturally competent practice requires:
- Applying the same evidence-based program used in the general population without modification
- Collaborating with community cultural brokers to adapt materials and service delivery (Correct answer)
- Avoiding discussion of domestic violence to respect cultural norms
- Focusing exclusively on immigration legal services
Correct answer: Collaborating with community cultural brokers to adapt materials and service delivery
Culturally competent intervention involves adapting evidence-based approaches with community cultural brokers to ensure linguistic and cultural relevance without abandoning efficacy.
CSP Community Assessment & Intervention 3
A practitioner conducting a participatory action research (PAR) project must ensure community members are: