Community Health Survey

We have determined racial disparities in cancer incidence and mortality within the Rogel Cancer Center catchment area, however, we know less about the underlying sociodemographic, psychosocial, and behavioral factors driving these disparities. Obtaining these data in a manner that is both cost effective and scientifically rigorous is a critical step in planning effective strategies to reduce disparities.

We responded to this need by conducting survey research that appropriately sampled our catchment area, and collected information to understand and decrease cancer disparities.

Understanding & Reducing Disparities

The overall objective of this work was to generate data to help us better understand, and thereby reduce, health disparities within the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center catchment area.

We conducted a new survey in our catchment area, oversampling key demographic groups. We also compared three methods of survey data collection in our catchment area to inform similar surveys for other cancer centers.

This included two non-random (and less costly) sampling strategies:

In-person community events using paper and online surveys
An online listed panel through Dynata

As well as a “gold standard:”

Population probability telephone survey conducted by Harris Insights and Analytics.

Arab and Chaldean Community Health Survey

Our catchment area includes southeast Michigan, which is home to some of the largest Middle Eastern and North African populations in the US.

We partnered with the Dearborn-based organization ACCESS – the largest Arab American community nonprofit in the US – to create a version of the Community Health Survey specifically geared towards the Arab and Chaldean communities. This version included extra questions about cultural identity, discrimination, and healthcare attitudes. In order to better meet the needs of this population, we also translate the survey into Arabic for paper or online completion.