Analysis of the Competent Community: Support for the Community Organization Role of the Health Educator

This study looks at the implications of emphasizing macro-change strategies for achieving a well society by examining the impact of community competence in the delivery of services on health status, as measured by years of productive life lost (YPLL), in thirty-three counties of Eastern North Carolina. Results of rankings and canonical analyses indicate that agency use of networks in planning is related to lower YPLL rates overall, but knowledge of services was related to lower white rates only. Community competence as a framework for evaluating community organization techniques is defined and the implications of the findings for community health practice are discussed.