Beginning this week, Fort Worth health workers will be visiting local neighborhoods to talk with residents about their opinions and health concerns. The Fort Worth Public Health Department’s Community Needs Assessment (CNA) is one of the largest surveys of its kind in the nation and will help guide local public health initiatives for the next five years.

Today, health workers and volunteers will begin knocking on doors and conducting face-to-face interviews with more than 3,300 residents. The results of the survey will provide health and city officials with valuable information about the needs of the population.

“This survey gives citizens an opportunity to voice their opinions about health and city services. The Public Health Department and other agencies are then better able to focus their efforts and make more efficient use of local tax dollars,” explained Witold Migala, epidemiology manager. “For example, if the survey results identify diabetes as a major concern for residents in southeast Fort Worth, our staff would focus diabetes education and prevention efforts in that part of town.”

The CNA is conducted every five years by the Fort Worth Public Health Department. Some of the results of the last CNA in 1998 included:

• Allergies, hypertension and arthritis were the most commonly reported health problems by Fort Worth residents. African-American respondents had the highest occurrence of these health conditions when compared to other ethnic groups.
• 19 percent of respondents stated that they did not have health insurance.
• 34 percent of respondents stated that were overweight.
• The top five neighborhood concerns were identified as crime, traffic, drugs, street repairs and stray animals.

Households will be chosen randomly and those selected are encouraged to participate. “This is a real chance for Fort Worth citizens to help shape city priorities for the next few years,” Migala said.