Development of Multidimensional Scales to Measure Key Leadersʼ Perceptions of Community Capacity and Organizational Capacity for Teen Pregnancy Prevention

Abstract

This study discusses the development of scales to measure key leaders' self-reported involvement in community capacity building, perceptions of organizational capacity for teen pregnancy prevention, and the relationship between capacity and teen pregnancy rates. Data were collected from 1,516 key leaders across a rural southern state. Findings indicate that key leaders' perceptions of organizational capacity are related to their involvement in community capacity building efforts and community capacity is associated with teen pregnancy rates. This research represents progress toward measuring community and organizational capacity and may be used to inform future work focusing on developing quantitative measures of community capacity.