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Friday, March 29, 2024

County health officials extending health survey

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New Hanover County officials are seeking to get a better picture of the health care perceptions of residents through the results of a comprehensive online survey that addresses a wide range of issues, from exercise to stress to diet to health care delivery. Officials are extending the time of the survey until the end of October in an effort to attract more results.

Unlike the survey conducted in 2011, which had just a handful of questions, the county’s latest online survey asks 75 to 90 questions, depending upon gender, age and other factors.

The goal originally was to have 3,500 replies, but with just 1,600 results as the deadline approaches officials are holding it open an extra month with the hopes of reaching 2,000 replies.

“We want the people to take the survey to look like the citizens of our county, to get a true snapshot of the community,” said Joshua Swift, deputy director of the New Hanover County Health Department. “What are the perceptions?”

Swift said the more thorough survey seeks to make connections between a range of issues to show officials the issues that most affect community health. Swift said the data will be used to conduct local health needs assessments, set priorities for local health action, measure the impact of health care programs and anticipate the emerging health needs of county residents.

“We’re looking for the underlying issues,” Swift said, noting that issues like physical activity and healthy eating can be affected by neighborhood safety and geographic location.

The expansive survey seeks to identify the county health services that need the most improvement, the issues that most affect the quality of life in New Hanover County and health behaviors residents need more information about.

The questions were developed from a handful of established health survey systems, including the North Carolina Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, the North Carolina Child Health Assessment and Monitoring Program, and the Short Form Health Outcomes Survey. Several local groups also helped develop questions, including Smart Start of New Hanover County, New Hanover Regional Medical Center, Coastal Horizons, Trillium and the UNCW College of Health and Human Services.

Survey participants are asked if they have health and dental care, if they use the emergency room, how long they have to wait for appointments and whether they need help understanding medical forms and literature.

The survey also asks participants about their behavior, such as if they exercise, consume sugary drinks or alcoholic beverages, wear seatbelts or are stressed about money and paying bills. One question asks whether the survey taker has smoked more than 100 cigarettes in his or her entire life.

“Health is not just about blood pressure and cholesterol, but also about dealing with income, education, whether you have access to a vehicle,” Swift said.  “Questions that all deal with our daily lives that play a part in our health.”

To help spread awareness of the survey, county officials have advertised on electronic billboards on College Drive, Oleander Drive and other locations in the city. The county also uses social media to promote the survey as well as promotion on TV and through print media.

One forum officials have used to try to improve results is a focus group, where a group of people from a similar demographic are given the survey and asked to talk about it, which lets researchers “dig even deeper,” Swift said.

New Hanover County residents can take the survey online at www.surveyNHC.com or take a paper version of the survey at any county library location.

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