Survey Development: Community-Involvement in the Design and Implementation Process

Documenting community health needs and priorities is a first-step in public health practice. A primary step is to define public health priorities and needs through the systematic collection of information, which is often achieved through various survey and research methods. In 2017, RMTEC aimed to document Tribal health priorities to inform future program development, technical assistance, research, policy, advocacy, and funding efforts. Although regional health priorities are established by the Indian Health Service, identifying the immediate priorities of community members would improve efforts to address public health concerns and detect best practice interventions across Tribes. To achieve this objective, RMTEC developed a health priorities survey in partnership with one Tribal community and a Health Department, one senior researcher, and two Tribal college students. Results underscore the need for culturally-responsive survey methods, the importance of building Tribal capacity for public health practice and research, and the value of piloting surveys in communities.