Action Step 5: Review Data Gathered
Action Step 5 is to review the data. Before you enter data into the CHANGE Sector Excel Files, review the data collected for each site to gain consensus on how to rate each item. Teams are discouraged from averaging ratings. The team should discuss the data, share what each person found, and identify evidence to support the team’s rating. Refer back to Action Step 2 when your team devised a decision-making strategy. Some examples are the Delphi method, simple voting tactics, or a discussion among members that indicates all or most are in agreement. Choose a method based on your team’s preference but you are encouraged to use that same method consistently throughout the process. This is the exciting part! Yet it also represents the hard work needed prior to entering data into the tool. Gather with your community team (in a board room, at a park, or at the local coffee shop) to brainstorm about what was heard in town hall meetings, observed during walkability audits, and garnered from existing data sources. There may be a pile of information in front of the group: pictures from the walkability audit, responses from a survey e-mailed to school staff, notes from an interview with the CEO of the local hospital. Establish consensus on what these data mean in terms of the parameters of the CHANGE tool. Be sure to record comments in the CHANGE Sector Excel file for every single response, to document why the decision was made. Make sure the information is representative of the site you assessed so information can be used from one year to the next. Rating the data should be based on a comprehensive review of all sources and the agreement of the individuals on your team.
The rating scale in each sector has been created to examine and easily determine where a site has progressed. Allocate a number between 1 and 5 for both the policy and environment columns for each of the five sectors. The table below shows a scale, with examples for scores 1–5. A response of 99 has been incorporated into the scale to be used only when the item is not applicable at the site (e.g., stair promotion not suitable in a one-story building). This item response (99) does not factor into the module’s column total or percentage calculations. During this action step, data are reviewed. One or two members of your team should take note of what type of data was collected from the site being discussed, where it came from, and add it to the comprehensive data file. This information can be entered into the comment boxes and will provide valuable, historical documentation for the reassessment phase. The table also provides a detailed explanation of the rating scale for the Community-At-Large Sector, Physical Activity Module. The module addresses the item require sidewalks to be built for all developments (e.g., housing, schools, commercial).
| CHANGE Tool Policy and Environment Scale for Community-At-Large Sector and Physical Activity Module | ||
|---|---|---|
| Policy | Environment | |
| Response # | Item #1: Require sidewalks to be built for all developments (e.g., housing, schools, commercial) | |
| 1 | This stage represents the time when the issue has not yet been identified as a concern or a problem. For example (examples provided correspond to item #1), the city or county government has never discussed instituting a sidewalk policy; complaints have never been filed and issues have not been raised by residents. | At this point, no elements are in place in the environment. For example (examples provided correspond to item #1), there are no sidewalks that are fully accessible to all pedestrians (including those in wheelchairs), there is no appropriate lighting, there are no stoplights, and there are no crosswalks. |
| 2 | This stage involves getting a problem onto the radar screen of the authoritative body that must deal with the issue. This is usually done when the issue or problem is categorized as a social or public problem. For example (examples provided correspond to item #1), the city or county government discusses instituting a sidewalk policy after complaints are filed by residents who are not able to safely walk in their neighborhoods; policy implications and issues are being considered. | At this point, only a few elements are in place in the environment. For example (examples provided correspond to item #1), there are sidewalks that are fully accessible to all pedestrians (including those in wheelchairs), but there is no appropriate lighting, there are no stoplights, and there are no crosswalks. |
| 3 | This stage involves analyzing policy goals and solutions, the development or creation of alternative recommendations to resolve or address the identified public problem, and final selection of a policy. For example (examples provided correspond to item #1), the city or county government developed and approved the policy, but it has not yet been implemented. It will be implemented in the next fiscal year. | At this point, there are some elements in place in the environment. For example (examples provided correspond to item #1), there are sidewalks that are fully accessible to all pedestrians (including those in wheelchairs) and there is appropriate lighting, but there are no stoplights and there are no crosswalks. |
| 4 | This occurs within organizations directed to carry out adopted policies. Implementation begins once a policy has been formulated and adopted, and administrators have made a decision about how to deploy necessary resources (human and financial) to actualize the policy. For example (examples provided correspond to item #1), the sidewalk policy was established and passed last year by the city or county government, communicated to residents, and implemented this year. The end of this year will be the review and comment period of the policy. | At this point, most elements are in place in the environment. For example (examples provided correspond to item #1), there are sidewalks that are fully accessible to all pedestrians (including those in wheelchairs), there is appropriate lighting, and there are stoplights, but there are no crosswalks. |
| 5 | This stage involves determining to what extent the policy has been enforced, and what occurred as a result of the policy. Based on the evaluation results, adjustments can be made to the current policy to ensure effectiveness. For example (examples provided correspond to item #1), the sidewalk policy was in place last year, and a comment period was held. The policy was revamped, and is now implemented with revisions including increased funding for implementation and increased punishment for violations. | At this point, all elements are in place in the environment. For example (examples provided correspond to item #1), there are sidewalks that are fully accessible to all pedestrians (including those in wheelchairs), there is appropriate lighting, there are stoplights, and there are crosswalks. |
| 99 | This type of policy is not appropriate for this community. | This type of environmental change strategy is not appropriate for this community. |
