Healy Jack, Ramirez Shokufeh, Knapp Megan, Johnson Carolyn
Center of Excellence in Maternal and Child Health, Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, New Orleans, LA, USA.
Texas Christian University School of Medicine, TCU Box 297085, Fort Worth, TX, 76129, USA.
Arch Public Health. 2023 Feb 28;81(1):33. doi: 10.1186/s13690-023-01042-1.
Asset mapping is a commonly used method in public health to identify and describe the resources within a community. However, there is currently a lack of standardization in the methods used for asset mapping, which can make it difficult for users to apply the method and compare results between different studies. In this article, we present a new approach called Asset Mapping Score Analysis (AMSA), which is a framework for collecting and organizing data on community assets. We provide an example of the AMSA method through its application in the evaluation of maternal and child health resources in New Orleans, Louisiana.
The AMSA approach consists of five steps and results in a data collection tool that uses a scoring system to quantify the functional and content areas defined by the users. This method is flexible, reproducible, quantitative, inexpensive, and can be adapted to fit the needs of different geographic areas and fields of study. It can also be repeated over time to monitor changes in systems. We conducted a pilot study to examine the participation of local maternal and child health organizations in four functional areas (education, direct services, policy/advocacy, and research) and 22 content areas.
In addition to describing the AMSA method and providing an example of its application, we also discuss the methodological issues involved in using the AMSA approach. These include considerations related to study design, data analysis, and interpreting results. We assess the strengths, limitations, and potential future directions of the AMSA method. Finally, we present the results of our AMSA study on maternal and child health organizations in New Orleans to illustrate the utility of this approach. Our findings suggest that the AMSA method is a valuable tool for understanding and characterizing the assets and resources within a community.
资产映射是公共卫生领域常用的一种方法，用于识别和描述社区内的资源。然而，目前资产映射所使用的方法缺乏标准化，这可能导致用户难以应用该方法，也难以比较不同研究的结果。在本文中，我们提出了一种名为资产映射评分分析（AMSA）的新方法，它是一个用于收集和整理社区资产数据的框架。我们通过将AMSA方法应用于路易斯安那州新奥尔良市母婴健康资源评估，给出了该方法的一个示例。
AMSA方法由五个步骤组成，最终形成一个数据收集工具，该工具使用评分系统对用户定义的功能和内容领域进行量化。此方法灵活、可重复、定量、成本低，并且可以根据不同地理区域和研究领域的需求进行调整。它还可以随时间重复使用，以监测系统变化。我们进行了一项试点研究，以考察当地母婴健康组织在四个功能领域（教育、直接服务、政策/宣传和研究）以及22个内容领域的参与情况。
除了描述AMSA方法并给出其应用示例外，我们还讨论了使用AMSA方法所涉及的方法学问题。这些问题包括与研究设计、数据分析和结果解释相关的考虑因素。我们评估了AMSA方法的优势、局限性以及未来潜在的发展方向。最后，我们展示了对新奥尔良市母婴健康组织的AMSA研究结果，以说明该方法的实用性。我们的研究结果表明，AMSA方法是理解和描述社区内资产与资源的宝贵工具。
