County seeks feedback on community health

The Orange County Health Department wants to know the health priorities of its county residents.

Stacy Shelp, spokeswoman for the health department, said a community health assessment survey is currently being conducted to learn about the health and quality of life in the Orange County community.

“We will use this survey to set priorities for the next four years of services across the county,” Shelp said.

Shelp explained the survey will cover several topics related to health and quality of life.

Questions will range from issues across Orange County to personal health issues. It only takes 10 to 15 minutes to complete, is confidential and has no right or wrong answers, Shelp said.

The survey first opened in early June and will close late July, she said.

Shelp said the results of the survey will be analyzed and used in a public report. The report will be available to agencies across the county to develop programs and identify gaps in service.

Some examples of questions on the survey include asking about where residents get health-related information, what the most urgent health issues for teens in Orange County are and what cancer screenings residents have undergone.

The survey also asks questions related to participants’ mental health, exercise habits and nutrition.

“The report will also be used at the annual Healthy Carolinians of Orange County meeting in September,” Shelp said.

Some UNC students have mixed reviews of the survey.

Garrett Powell, a junior biology major, said he is less than optimistic about the number of residents who will actually complete the survey.

“I think the survey is a great idea,” Powell said. “But I don’t think that many people will fill it out since it’s voluntary.”

Maggie Brownrigg, a junior chemistry major, said she thinks the survey would be more effective with a different title.

“The implications of the assessment go further than the name of the survey implies” she said. “It’s an awesome idea — as long as people will do it.”

The survey asks about issues that are more indirectly related to health, such as poverty.

For example, one question asks the participant if there was a time in the last month where they had to skip meals because of a lack of money for food.

Even though over 1,700 Orange County residents have already completed the survey, Shelp said she urges residents who have not completed the survey to do so.

The survey can be found at surveymonkey.com/r/OCCHA2015.

Shelp said there will also be a door-to-door collection of the survey Friday, Saturday and Sunday for those who do not use the online assessment.

city@dailytarheel.com