What makes a healthy community? Increasing the community voice in public health planning through qualitative research

Community involvement and collaboration are critical for public health planning. This presentation will describe the use and benefits of qualitative methods to identify health needs and enhance community engagement for the improvement of public health. We will present two projects that engaged over 200 participants—a health assessment and a series of community dialogues—with the aim of understanding what makes a healthy community. As part of a community needs assessment, ten focus groups (n=84) were conducted to gauge perceptions of community needs and assets. As part of a Birth Equity Initiative, a series of community dialogues (n=135) were convened to address racial disparities in infant mortality.

To guide the discussions for both projects, conversations focused on what makes a healthy community. Key themes expressed included: (a) opportunities for employment and educational advancement; (b) the impact of violence on mental and physical health (e.g., lack of safe places to exercise); and (c) access to healthy, affordable food. Findings indicated that community members clearly understand the role of social determinants of health in their day to day lived experience.

While quantitative indicators provided a social and economic context of health, qualitative methods created an opportunity to hear the community voice regarding pertinent health issues. Furthermore, qualitative research addressed limitations presented by quantitative data, such as availability, timeliness, and geographic specificity. Qualitative data provided a real-time perspective of community needs and assets which is particularly crucial when there are unique social and economic factors that can significantly impact multiple dimensions of health.