Abstract

With rapidly changing political and fiscal contexts that support population health at global and national levels, there is a growing need for resources to support local communities in addressing population health outcomes. Grounded in systems-thinking and asset-based community development approaches, the framework presented supports community stakeholders in compiling local data for measurable indicators of population health to explore assets, systems, and needs in their communities. When embedded in a community-led process, these data can be utilized to identify local leverage points that effectively improve health. The central contribution is a structured resource of fifty-five research-based measurable indicators relevant to community health outcomes with corresponding publicly accessible datasets that provide data at the county or municipal-level for each indicator in the United States. Researchers conducted a scoping review to understand prior measures utilized to assess health conditions across a range of community systems and applied inclusion criteria to identify the final fifty-five measures incorporated in the framework. The article discusses how local findings can help communities identify the key interconnections among their local systems that shape health outcomes. By integrating the local results from these measures with qualitative data, communities can conduct a robust mixed methods analysis of the systems and conditions impacting health in their communities, identify strategic leverage points, tailor interventions to their unique contexts, and continuously reassess emerging needs. In these ways, this framework supports communities in the development of long-lasting and effective interventions to improve their local health outcomes.