Community-level theories explain how health behaviors spread through populations and how communities organize for change. Diffusion of Innovations shows how new ideas catch on, while Community Organization models focus on empowering people to tackle shared problems.

These theories build on individual and interpersonal models by looking at wider social influences. They help public health workers understand how to spark widespread adoption of healthy behaviors and mobilize communities to improve wellbeing.

Diffusion of Innovations Theory

Key Components of Diffusion

• Diffusion of Innovations explains how new ideas, products, or behaviors spread through a population or social system over time
• Innovation refers to the new idea, practice, or object being adopted which is perceived as novel by the adopters
• Communication channels are the means by which information about the innovation is shared between individuals (mass media, interpersonal)
• Time encompasses the rate of adoption, the innovativeness of the adopter, and the diffusion process itself
• Social system includes the norms, values, and structures of the community or population where diffusion takes place influencing adoption patterns

Adopter Categories

• Innovators (2.5%) are the first to adopt new ideas and are willing to take risks
• Early Adopters (13.5%) are opinion leaders who embrace innovation opportunities, helping to spread awareness
• Early Majority (34%) adopt innovations just before the average member, taking longer to decide but still ahead of most
• Late Majority (34%) are more skeptical, adopting innovations only after the majority has done so
• Laggards (16%) are the last to adopt, often due to limited resources or traditional values resistant to change

Community Organization Models

Empowerment and Capacity Building

• Community Organization involves the process of organizing community members to identify common problems and mobilize resources to address them collectively
• Empowerment enables community members to gain mastery over their lives and communities through skill development, access to resources, and collaborative action
• Community capacity refers to the assets, attributes, and resources a community can leverage to address issues and improve well-being
  • Includes human capital (leadership, skills), social capital (networks, trust), and organizational resources (institutions, funding)

Stages of Community Change

• Issue selection involves identifying and prioritizing the most pressing community concerns to focus change efforts
• Critical consciousness develops as community members analyze the root causes of issues and how social/political forces impact them
• Community competence is the ability to collaborate effectively in assessing needs, making decisions, and taking action for change
  • Requires conflict management, group facilitation, and collective problem-solving skills