Results of a Prevalence Survey
of Macomb County, 1999

A consortium of groups, including the Macomb County Health Department and other community groups are engaging in a process to identify the health and social needs of Macomb County. The goal is to use the community resources more efficiently and more effectively by identifying areas of greater need so that resource allocation and effort can be directed so as to optimize the overall quality of life and health in the county. The consortium is engaged in identifying and prioritizing health problems, and developing a community health plan. In order to do this, data are being examined from a variety of sources, such as Census, hospital and health department records. But some information that will be valuable in assessing needs and planning for the future is not available from institutional sources. It is rooted in the personal experiences of individual residents as they experience ebbs and flows of the economy, shifts in the demand for labor of various types, in the geographic and social distribution of assets and health, and in lifestyle and health maintenance decisions. Information as to the prevalence of such experiences and behaviors is not catalogued in any institutional reference. It rests with individual residents and it is from them directly that such information must be obtained in order to complete the mission of the coalition. Acquisition of this information is one of the most important contributions made by Macomb County Health Department.

In the summer of 1998, the coalition contacted the Survey Research Division (SRD) of Michigan State University's Institute for Public Policy and Social Research to arrange for a survey to be conducted in the spring of 1999. In consultation with the county representatives, SRD staff constructed an interview based on two previously used instruments The Behavioral Risk Factor Survey (BRFS) interview developed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the interview developed and administered on behalf of MCHD three years ago. Content for this year's interview was also provided by Macomb County's Department of Senior Citizens Services and Community Mental Health Services. The Behavioral Risk Factor Survey is designed as a telephone survey of adults on health behaviors associated with common causes of morbidity and mortality.

This is a report of the findings of that survey. These findings will not only be used by the coalition, but also by many of the individual contributing agencies as they continue to address the needs of the community, assess the effectiveness of their programs, and engage in planning for Macomb County's future.

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