The CHANGE tool, developed by CDC’s Healthy Communities Program, provides community leaders with a snapshot of local policy, systems, and environmental change strategies currently in place in their community and identifies areas where such health strategies are lacking. CHANGE assists each community in defining and prioritizing areas for improvement as part of its community action plan.

CHANGE addresses each of the five bulleted sectors noted below. For each sector, the tool includes specific questions to be answered in the areas of physical activity, nutrition, tobacco, chronic disease management, and leadership (plus school district and after-school in the school sector).

• Community-At-Large Sector: Includes community-wide efforts that impact the social and built environments, such as improving food access, walkability or bikeability, secondhand smoke exposure, or personal safety.

• Community Institution/Organization Sector: Includes entities within the community that provide a broad range of human services and access to facilities (e.g., childcare settings, faith-based organizations, senior centers, boys and girls clubs, colleges/universities).

• Health Care Sector: Includes places where people go to receive preventive care or treatment, or emergency healthcare services (e.g., hospitals, private doctors’ offices, community clinics).

• School Sector: Includes all primary and secondary learning institutions (e.g., elementary, middle, and high schools, whether private, public, or parochial).

• Work Site Sector: Includes places of employment (e.g., private offices, restaurants, retail establishments, government offices).