Working together: A university-based program and local jurisdiction MCAH directors develop a community survey to assess rural county maternal and child health needs

Judith A. Belfiori, MA, MPH¹, Brianna Gass, MPH², Nadia Thind, MPH², and Geraldine Oliva, MD MPH³. (1) Family Health Outcomes Project, Dept of Family and Community Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, 3333 California Street Suite 365, San Francisco, CA 94118, (415)502-3247, jhager@itsa.ucsf.edu, (2) Family Health Outcomes Project, Community and Family Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, 3333 California Street Suite 365, San Francisco, CA 94118, (3) Family Health Outcomes Project, University of California, San Francisco, 3333 California Street, Suite 365, San Francisco, CA 94118

The Family Health Outcomes Project (FHOP), a program of the Department of Family and Community Health, University of California, San Francisco, assisted a workgroup comprised of rural health jurisdiction Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health (MCAH) Directors to develop a community health assessment survey that could be adapted to the needs of individual rural counties. A core Perinatal and Child Health Survey and five optional modules including Oral Health/Hygiene, Child Asthma, Child Nutrition and Physical Activity, Perinatal Substance Use, and Family Violence were developed. The survey was specifically intended to provide data in rural counties where other data sources are often limited or inadequate. Survey data can be used as part of a county’s State required five-year maternal and child health assessment and for other assessment and planning efforts. The FHOP-facilitated workgroup developed survey objectives and criteria for question selection. FHOP staff identified potential questions and responses from existing, tested surveys. The workgroup reviewed and selected the final questions using the criteria and insight from their local experience. Guidelines for adapting the survey to a particular local area, administering it and analyzing it were provided. The survey was piloted by counties and changes were made. This presentation will include 1) a description of the cooperative process of survey development, 2) presentation of the survey instrument, and 3) discussion of the issues encountered in survey development and implementation and how these were resolved. Insights and recommendations for others developing tools to assess local needs will be presented.

Learning Objectives:

At the conclusion of the session, the participant in this session will be able to

1)Describe a process for developing a survey to collect local needs assessment data
2)Describe the characteristics and benefits of the survey tool that was developed
3)Assess the usefulness of this method of collecting local data when secondary sources of data are inadequate or to supplement other data
4)Identify the issues and possible alternatives that can arise when developing and using a community assessment survey

Keywords: Methodology, Needs Assessment

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.

Recorded presentation

Methodological Techniques and Tools Utilized in Health Care Planning, Policy Development and Evaluation-II

The 132nd Annual Meeting (November 6-10, 2004) of APHA