摘要：Introduction: The role of community assessment is to identify factors which influence the health of community and to determine the accessibility of the sources within the community. This study was carried out with the aim of identifying the problems of two different regions in Shahroud and of selecting a problem for a deeper analysis and determining the size of the problem in the two regions. Methods: Using the 8-stage model of North Carolina community Assessment, the problems of two regions of Mahdiabad and Bastam were identified and prioritized. Then, the mental problem was selected as a common priority problem in the two regions and in order to determine the size of this problem, 450 people in Mahdiabad and 407 people in Bastam were selected through random cluster sampling and were studied using a demographic questionnaire and the general health questionnaire (GHQ-28) and WHO-5 well- being index. Results: Mental health problem was the sixth priority problem in Mahdiabad and the fourth priority problem in Bastam. Overall prevalence of undesirable mental health (confidence interval) in Mahdiabad and Bastam were 43.9% (39.3-48.5) and 25.1% (20.9-29.3). There were greater percentages of men and women with mental health problems in Mahdiabad than those in Bastam. In terms of somatic and anxiety sign subscales, Bastam, and in terms of social function and depression subscales, Mahdiabad had more undesirable conditions. Conclusion: The process of community assessment is a highly useful tool for needs analysis, identification and solution of society problems and its application is suggested for promotion of health and welfare of any community.
关键词：Society assessment; Mental health; Needs analysis; Community diagnosis
