The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #65869

Michael J. Kazda, MA, Witold M. Migala, MPH, PhD, Elizabeth Rossmann Beel, MPH, and Jessica D. Martinez, MPH. Epidemiology & Assessment, City of Fort Worth Public Health Department, 1800 University Drive, Room 218, Fort Worth, TX 76107

Assessment of health and social needs ensures that community input drives strategic planning and programmatic decisions. Annual review of available health indicators provides insight into health conditions in the community, but does not capture data regarding the individual behaviors impacting health conditions. Though behaviors may be inferred through morbidity and mortality, these are often endpoint indicators and represent missed opportunities for prevention. Further, these data provide little or no information regarding utilization, awareness, or satisfaction with available services. A comprehensive community needs assessment was conducted with a randomly selected, representative sample of respondents from a diverse urban population in 2003 as a reassessment of the municipal population surveyed in 1998. The survey instrument was the product of a collaborative effort incorporating the input of community partners solicited through a series of formal meetings. Additions to the instrument for the reassessment were made to incorporate emerging issues and conditions. Using a geographic information system to design the sampling frame, over three thousand face-to-face interviews with a stratified random sample of citizens were conducted by community health workers and other public health professionals in each assessment. Analyses of data are then used to determine the priorities and focus of the local public health department and support the activities of numerous local health and social service agencies. Complete analyses from the reassessment will be available in the summer of 2003. Periodic reassessment with attention to comparability permits objective evaluation of program impact in addition to a measurement of current needs.

Learning Objectives:

At the conclusion of this session, the participant will be able to:
• Describe a community needs assessment in a large diverse metropolitan population; 2. Recognize the benefits of community partnership in instrument design; 3. Assess the impact of strategic planning to address health and social needs of a community through a five-year reassessment protocol.

Keywords: Needs Assessment, Survey

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.