Development of indicators to assess quality of life within a community: the 2006 healthy community council assessment

The Healthy Community Council (HCC) is a group of numerous stakeholders that include both private and non-profit organizations that provide services to residents of the City of Harrisonburg and Rockingham County, located in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. The HCC was formed "to enhance the quality of life for the community through collaborative efforts of individuals, agencies, and institutions." One goal has been to assess the quality of life among residents in the City of Harrisonburg and Rockingham County. This article provides a framework and step-by-step process for developing quality of life indicators for a community assessment. The process of developing indicators to assess quality of life included: 1) establishing an assessment team; 2) reviewing assessments conducted in similar communities; 3) developing assessment categories (i.e., health, environment); 4) listing all possible indicators that would assess quality of life in a community; 5) prioritizing indicators; 6) finalizing the list of indicators for each assessment category; and 7) determining indicator type. The step-by-step process outlined resulted in the development of eight assessment categories and a total of 40 indicators to measure quality of life within the community. The method for developing the specific indicators to measure quality of life was essential in making the 2006 HCC Assessment a community-based participatory process.