Community Indicators in Action: Using Indicators as a Tool for Planning and Evaluating the Health and Wellbeing of a Community

Abstract

Community indicators are summarized or aggregated statistics that include broad measures aimed at measuring the progress of a community but community indicator projects are often criticized for a lack of direct policy and planning actions. This chapter introduces Community Indicators Victoria, a community indicators project located within a southern state of Australia, and describes a successful collaboration with a local government authority in the development of a 4-year Municipal Public Health and Wellbeing Plan. The chapter describes a practical case study example of how community indicators can be used to develop informed, engaged and integrated community planning.