Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Perceived Efficacy and Control for Neighborhood Change: the Cross-Cutting Role of Collective Efficacy

  • Published:
Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Background

The premise of community advocacy is to empower residents by increasing their capacity to address and change neighborhood and structural factors that contribute to adverse health outcomes. An underlying assumption is that community residents will advocate for public policy and other changes. However, limited empirical evidence exists on community residents’ perceived ability to advocate for neighborhood change. In this study, we characterized perceived neighborhood control and efficacy for neighborhood change and evaluated independent associations between efficacy and control beliefs and sociodemographic factors, community involvement, and perceptions of social environment.

Methods

Cross-sectional data from 488 African American adults were analyzed to describe efficacy and control beliefs and to characterize bivariate associations between these beliefs and sociodemographic factors, social environment, and community involvement variables. Variables with significant relationships (p < 0.10) were included in a multivariate logistic regression model to identify factors having significant independent associations with efficacy and control beliefs.

Results

Overall, beliefs about neighborhood control and confidence were varied, yet approximately half of residents (49 and 55 %, respectively) reported having a little control over things that happen in their neighborhood and a little confidence in their ability to change things where they live. The likelihood of reporting confidence to make neighborhood improvements increased with greater collective efficacy (OR = 1.78, 95 % CI = 1.19–1.31, p = 0.002). In addition, participants who were involved in a community organization were more likely to report confidence to improve their neighborhood (OR = 2.03, 95 % CI = 1.21–3.42, p = 0.01).

Conclusion

Efforts are needed to improve residents’ ability to become positive agents of change in their community. Creating a research infrastructure within academic community partnerships that focus on strengthening advocacy and public policy may improve resident’s efficacy and ability to seek and encourage neighborhood change.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Ingram M, Sabo S, Rothers J, Wennerstrom A, de Zapien JG. Community health workers and community advocacy: addressing health disparities. J Community Health. 2008;33(6):417–24.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Parker RG. Empowerment, community mobilization and social change in the face of HIV/AIDS. AIDS. 1996;10(Suppl 3):S27–31.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Warnecke RB, Oh A, Breen A, et al. Approaching health disparities from a population perspective: the national institutes of health centers for population health and health disparities. Am J Public Health. 2008;98(9):1608–15.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  4. Checkoway B Six strategies of community change. Community Dev J. 1995;30(1):2–20.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Watson-Thompson J, Fawcett SB, Schultz JA. A framework for community mobilization to promote healthy youth development. Am J Prev Med. 2008;34(3 Suppl):S72–81.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Basic J Community mobilization and readiness: planning flaws which challenge effective implementation of ‘Communities that Care’ (CTC) prevention system. Subst Use Misuse. 2015;30(1):2–20. doi:10.1093/cdj/30.1.2.

    Google Scholar 

  7. Chilenski S, Greenberg M, Feinberg M. Community readiness as a multidimensional construct. J Community Psychol. 2007;35(3):347–65.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  8. Foster-Fishman PG, Pierce SJ, Van Egeren LA Who participates and why: building a process model of citizen participation. Health Education Behavior. 2009;36:550–69.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Hanna FJ Therapy with difficult clients: using the precursors model to awaken change. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association; 2002.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  10. Bandura A Self-efficacy: the exercise of control. New York, NY: Freeman; 2000.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  11. Sampson RJ, Raudenbush SW, Earls F. Neighborhoods and violent crime: a multilevel study of collective efficacy. Science. 1997;277(5328):918–24.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Foster-Fishman PG, Cantillon D, Pierce SJ, Van Egeren L Building an active citizenry: the role of neighborhood problems, readiness, and capacity for change. Am J Community Psychol. 2007;39:91–106.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Corral I, Landrine H, Hao Y, Zhao L, Mellerson JL, Cooper DL Residential segregation, health behavior and overweight/obesity among a national sample of African American adults. J Health Psychol. 2012;17(3):371–8.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Grigsby-Toussaint DS, Zenk SN, Odoms-Young A, Ruggiero L, Moise I Availability of commonly consumed and culturally specific fruits and vegetables in African-American and Latino neighborhoods. J Am Diet Assoc. 2010;110(5):746–52.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  15. Zenk SN, Odoms-Young AM, Dallas C, Hardy E, Watkins A, Hoskins-Wroten J, et al. “You have to hunt for the fruits, the vegetables”: environmental barriers and adaptive strategies to acquire food in a low-income African American neighborhood. Health Education and Behavior. 2011;38(3):282–92.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  16. Itzhaky H, York AS. Showing results in community organization. Soc Work. 2002;47:125–31.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2014). Social determinants of health. Retrieved January 6, 2015 from http://www.cdc.gov/socialdeterminants/FAQ.html

  18. Weathers B, Barg FK, Bowman M, et al. Using a mixed-methods approach to identify health concerns in an African American community. Am J Public Health. 2011;101(11):2087–92.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  19. Halbert CH, Bellamy S, Briggs V, et al. Intervention completion rates among African Americans in a randomized effectiveness trial for diet and physical activity changes. Cancer Epidemiol Biomark Prev. 2014;23(7):1306–13.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Halbert CH, Wrenn G, Weathers B, et al. Sociocultural determinants of men’s reactions to prostate cancer diagnosis. Psychooncology. 2010;19(5):553–60.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  21. Marmot M, Friel S, Bell R, Houweling TA, Taylor S Closing the gap in a generation: health equity through action on the social determinants of health. Lancet. 2008;372(9650):1661–9.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. National Cancer Institute. Health Information National Trends Survey. Available at: http://hintscancergov/. (accessed 23 January 2015).

  23. Merzel C, D’Affilitti J. Reconsidering community-based health promotion: promise, performance and potential. Am J Public Health. 2003;93:557–74.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  24. Cohen DA, Inagami S, Finch B. The built environment and collective efficacy. Health Place. 2008;14(2):198–208.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  25. Cerin E, Saelems BE, Sallis JF, Frank LD. Neighborhood Environment Walkability Scale: validity and development of a short form. Med SciSports Exerc. 2006;38(9):1682–91.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Strecher VJ, DeVellis BM, Becker MH, Rosenstock IM. The role of self-efficacy in achieving health behavior change. Health Educ Behav. 1986;13(1):73–92.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Schulz AJ, Israel BA, Zimmerman MA, Checkoway BN. Empowerment as a multi-level construct: perceived control at the individual, organizational and community levels. Health Educ Res. 1995;10(3):309–27.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  28. Zimmerman MA, Rappaport J. Citizen participation, perceived control, and psychological empowerment. Am J Community Psychol. 1988;16(5):725–50.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  29. Ohmer ML. Citizen participation in neighborhood organizations and its relationship to volunteers’ self-and collective efficacy and sense of community. Soc Work Res. 2007;31(2):109–20.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. Leighley JE. Strength in numbers?: The political mobilization of racial and ethnic minorities. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press; 2001.

    Google Scholar 

  31. Itzhaky H, York AS. Empowerment and community participation: does gender make a difference? Soc Work Res. 2000;24(4):225–34.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  32. Singh B, Udainiya R. Self-efficacy and well-being of adolescents. J Indian Acad Appl Psychol. 2009;35(2):227–32.

  33. Chavis DM, Wandersman A. Sense of community in the urban environment: a catalyst for participation and community development. Am J Community Psychol. 1990;18(1):55–81.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  34. Perkins DD, Florin P, Rich RC, Wandersman A, Chavis D Participation and the social and physical environment of residential blocks: crime and community context. Am J Community Psychol. 1990;18:83–115.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  35. Leyden KM. Social capital and the built environment: the importance of walkable neighborhoods. Am J Public Health. 2003;93(9):1546–51.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  36. Israel BA, Schulz AJ, Parker EA, Becker AB Review of community-based research: assessing partnership approaches to improve public health. Annu Review Public Health. 1998;19(1):173–202.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  37. Wallerstein NB, Duran B Using community-based participatory research to address health disparities. Health Promot Pract. 2006;7(3):312–23.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  38. Schulz AJ, Krieger J, Galea S. Addressing social determinants of health: community-based participatory approaches to research and practice. Health Educ Behav. 2002;29(3):287–95.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  39. Minkler M, Wallerstein N. Community-based participatory research for health: from process to outcomes. San Francisco, CA: John Wiley & Sons; 2011.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

We would like to acknowledge and express our appreciation to all of the women and men who participated in this research. This research was supported by National Institute of Minority Health and Health Disparities grant #R24MD001594 and grant #R18HS019339 from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

Contributors

CHH designed the study and led study implementation and data analysis. LJR led development of the manuscript draft and finalization of the draft. BH and MJ assisted with data interpretation, manuscript drafting, and finalization of the manuscript draft. VB and ED assisted with study design and manuscript drafting. JCJ contributed to the study design, implementation, manuscript drafting, and finalization.

Data Sharing Statement

No additional data are available.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and Hollings Cancer Center, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA

    LaShanta J. Rice, Melanie Jefferson & Chanita Hughes Halbert

  2. Department of Health and Environmental Control, Walterboro, SC, USA

    Brenda Hughes

  3. Health Promotion Council of Southeastern Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Vanessa Briggs

  4. National Black Leadership Initiative on Cancer, Philadelphia Chapter, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Ernestine Delmoor

  5. Department of Medicine, Division of Geriatric Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Jerry C. Johnson

  6. Ralph H. Johnson Veterans Medical Center, Charleston, SC, USA

    Chanita Hughes Halbert

  7. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, 68 President Street, Suite BE103, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA

    LaShanta J. Rice

Authors
  1. LaShanta J. Rice
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Brenda Hughes
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Vanessa Briggs
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Ernestine Delmoor
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Melanie Jefferson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Jerry C. Johnson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Chanita Hughes Halbert
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to LaShanta J. Rice.

Ethics declarations

Funding

This study was funded by the National Institute of Minority Health and Health Disparities (grant number R24MD001594) and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (grant number R18HS019339).

Conflicts of Interest

Author LJR declares he/she has no conflict of interest. Author BH declares he/she has no conflict of interest. Author VB declares he/she has no conflict of interest. Author ED declares he/she has no conflict of interest. Author MJ declares he/she has no conflict of interest. Author JCJ declares he/she has no conflict of interest. Author CHH declares he/she has no conflict of interest.

Ethics Approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. This article does not contain any studies with animals performed by any of the authors.

Informed Consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Rice, L.J., Hughes, B., Briggs, V. et al. Perceived Efficacy and Control for Neighborhood Change: the Cross-Cutting Role of Collective Efficacy. J. Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities 3, 667–675 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40615-015-0185-9

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40615-015-0185-9

Keywords

Search

Navigation