The Importance of Asset Mapping to HIV Prevention
By Donrie Purcell
On September 20, 2023
The HIV/AIDS epidemic disproportionately affects the well-being of Black communities throughout the United States. Identifying protective factors may be instrumental in tackling racial inequities in HIV among Black Americans.
One possible strengths-based approach that can be employed is asset mapping. Asset mapping is a method of research originally developed as part of Kretzmann and McKnight’s (1993) asset-based community development (ABCD) strategy for community capacity building1. The ABCD approach involves the mapping of assets within the community and finding ways to mobilize these assets by drawing on internal relationships and external connections2. Therefore, asset mapping is “a process of documenting tangible and intangible resources within a community and accepting the community as a place of strengths or assets that need to be preserved and enhanced, not deficits to be remedied”3. By focusing on the strengths of the community, asset mapping creates a sense of hope and empowerment for communities disproportionately affected by HIV/AIDS, poverty, poor infrastructure, stress on resources and healthcare, and psychological breakdown resulting from the disease4.
The Satcher Health Leadership Institute (SHLI) recognizes the significance of asset mapping in addressing the challenges faced by Black persons living with HIV/AIDS (BPLWHA) and restoring the “broken circles of care” within families, social networks, and healthcare systems5. Asset mapping serves as a valuable tool to identify and provide comprehensive information about both new and existing resources that are essential for BPLWHA. By enhancing the asset mapping system, SHLI aims to improve the accessibility and effectiveness of these crucial resources.
To conduct asset mapping, we start with a community based participatory research (CBPR) approach that creates an equitable partnership between community members, organizational representatives, and the researchers6. Next, the community defines what they want to do with the information collected. How they plan to use the information will guide what assets are identified. It is important to determine if an asset map was created previously on the same topic and if it can be used to provide some of the information needed. The asset mapping team will then develop a plan to collect information including a timeline and what methods will be used. The next step is to collect data on community assets including resources, threats, opportunities, and strategies to sustain assets. Finally, we utilize Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology to facilitate the visual depiction of critical assets in a community and the relationships among the assets. GIS essentially identifies the physical location of assets within the community using both quantitative and qualitative information, giving everyone the opportunity to visualize, analyze and report information through maps, graphs, and charts.
Some of the key assets one would typically see on an asset map include: physical (i.e. parks, walking paths), economic assets (i.e. banks, credit union, picnic areas), stories (i.e. backgrounds, and personal history of BPLWHA), healthcare institutions (i.e. hospitals, clinics, specialized doctors’ offices, AIDS Healthcare Foundation), associations (i.e. civic associations, men’s health groups), and residential institutions (i.e. community health centers, hospitals, doctors offices). The identification of these assets is meant to help individuals locate resources available to them through visual representation8. Further, data viewed on asset maps are easier to understand and interpret as opposed to apps that use listing or tabular format9.
At SHLI, we partner with our community coalition members to build their capacity to take the lead and build on existing resources to address needs and improve the health of those disproportionately affected by HIV/AIDS.
References
1. Louw N, Dunbar-Krige H, Fritz E. ‘Weaving a circle of care’ around families affected by HIV and AIDS. Education as Change. 2010/12/01 2010;14(sup1):S65-S72. doi:10.1080/16823206.2010.517927
2. Lightfoot E, McCleary JS, Lum T. Asset Mapping as a Research Tool for Community-Based Participatory Research in Social Work. Social Work Research. 2014;38(1):59-64. doi:10.1093/swr/svu001
3. Mathie A, Kearny J. Past, present and future: Educating for social and economic change at the Coady International Institute COADY International Institute. Accessed March 22, 2023. https://coady.stfx.ca/wp-content/uploads/pdfs/resources/publications/1_Past_Present_Future.pdf
4. Kerka S. Community Asset Mapping. Trends and Issues Alert. Office of Educational Research and Improvement (ED). Accessed March 22, 2023. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED481324.pdf
5. Richter L, Manegold J, Pather R. Family and Community Interventions for Children Affected by AIDS (Research Monograph / Social Aspects of HIV/AIDS and Health R). HSRC Press; 2005.
6. Cook P, du Toit L. Circles of care: Community child protection. Participatory research model
strengthening restorative local governance in support of South African children’s rights. South Africa: The CIDA Child Protection Research Fund (CPRF). 2004.
7. Lazarus S, Duran B, Caldwell L, Bulbulia S. Public Health Research and Action: Reflections on Challenges and Possibilities of Community-Based Participatory Research. InTechOpen. intechopen; 2012. https://cdn.intechopen.com/pdfs/36946/InTech-Public_health_research_and_action_reflections_on_challenges_and_possibilities_of_community_based_participatory_research.pdf
8. Kramer S, Amos T, Lazarus S, Seedat M. The Philosophical Assumptions, Utility and Challenges of Asset Mapping Approaches to Community Engagement. Journal of Psychology in Africa. 2012;22(4):537–544. doi:10.1080/14330237.2012.1082
9. In J, Lee S. Statistical data presentation. Korean J Anesthesiol. Jun 2017;70(3):267-276. doi:10.4097/kjae.2017.70.3.267
This piece was republished from Health Equity Tracker.