Developing a Congregational Health Needs Assessment: Lessons Learned from Using a Participatory Research Approach

Area of Science:

• Community Health
• Health Services Research
• Public Health Interventions

Background:

• Health needs assessments are vital for congregations to identify community health priorities.
• Existing tools for congregational health needs assessments are scarce, with limited understanding of their development processes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a congregational health needs assessment tool and implementation protocol.
• To foster collaboration among community, health-care, and academic partners.

Main Methods:

• Initiated in August 2018, the Mid-South Congregational Health Needs Survey (MSCHS) and implementation protocol were developed through collaborative meetings.
• Pilot testing in December 2018 informed modifications based on feedback from 95 churches.

Main Results:

• The MSCHS comprises a demographics section, a 36-item health index, and identifies a congregation's top five health needs.
• The implementation protocol outlines steps for engaging congregational leadership to facilitate survey completion.

Conclusions:

• Cross-disciplinary partnerships were essential for creating the MSCHS and its implementation protocol.
• Successful outcomes included sustained engagement, organizational buy-in, and the establishment of a common language.
• Lessons learned can guide the development of effective multi-sector partnerships for health initiatives.