DNP 825 In creating a new community-based health program, what program development model would you use and why? 

Community development models allow individuals living in a certain area to improve their immediate surroundings. Models vary widely based on many factors, a few of which include individuals, available funds, community needs, and current economic situations. A community may use one model or more, either at one time or over a long period of time, covering many different community stages. Needs-based community development models focus on the specific needs of individuals or groups in a given area. However, the Assets Based Community Development (ABCD) approach empowers community members and strengthens the effectiveness of government agencies and NGOs by drawing on the resources, abilities and insights of local residents to find the ways of overcoming their own challenges. Chinyowa et al (2017), explains that asset-based community development begins with what is present in the community and builds on the assets and capacities of individuals, associations and institutions. Rather than focus on what is lacking or deficient in the community, a drastic approach was proposed that involves the total investment of the community in their own development. For this reason, this is the program development model I would choose when creating a new community-based health program. Various levels of intervention may be employed to make the program successful. This includes educational or other strategies that involve individuals, families, social networks, organizations, and public policy. These community-based interventions may also engage community input through advisory committees or community coalitions that assist in tailoring interventions to specific target groups or to adapt programs to community characteristics. Haldane et al (2019) expressed that, the focus of these community-based projects is primarily on changing individuals’ behaviors as a method for reducing the population’s risk of disease. As a result, the target of change may be populations, but population change is defined as the aggregate of individual changes. Chinyowa, Kennedy & Sirayi, Mziwoxolo & Mokuku, Selloane. (2017). From Needs-Based to Asset-Based Community Development: The ABCD Method as an Effective Strategy for Engaging with Grassroots Leaders in South Africa. 10.1108/978-1-78635-687-120171014. Haldane, V., Chuah, F. L. H., Srivastava, A., Singh, S. R., Koh, G. C. H., Seng, C. K., & Legido-Quigley, H. (2019). Community participation in health services development, implementation, and evaluation: A systematic review of empowerment, health, community, and process outcomes. PloS one, 14(5), e0216112. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0216112