June 14, 2014 NPHIC Award Entries http://www.nphic.org/awards-home-page
Award Category In-house Print/Graphic: Other Major Reports Entry 2 Title Ottawa County Youth Assessment Survey Submitted by Kristina Wieghmink, M.Ed. Ottawa County Department of Public Health Communications Specialist & NPHIC Member (616)494-5597 kwieghmink@miottawa.org
Background and Research
The Ottawa County Youth Assessment Survey (YAS) was created to address the need for a consistent and reliable way to find out about the challenges and strengths of teens across Ottawa County.
Several organizations recognized the necessity for more data and worked together to review existing surveys that were already considered valid and reliable.
As a result, a survey tool was developed uniquely for Ottawa County that could also be responsive to the future needs of local teens. The survey was administered to 4,876 eighth, tenth and twelfth grade teens; it consisted of 193 questions.
The purpose of collecting the data is to determine the most pressing and prevalent issues teens say they face. The results help community members and organizations monitor how these behaviors increase, decrease or stay the same over time. It also serves as a guide to help decide where to allocate funds and what programs and initiatives need to be developed to address these issues and concerns.
The target audience is county leaders and officials, community foundations and organizations, school administrators and parents.
1
Planning
The goal for the 2013 report was to expand the target audience and broaden the reach of the report. Previously, the report was used primarily by local agencies and schools as a guide to make evidence-based decisions about how to address the needs of students. Reaching out to churches, parents and parent school groups gives them the opportunity to identify both risky and beneficial behaviors and helps them guide their teens in becoming physically, emotionally and mentally healthy adults.
The objective of the YAS Committee was to create an appealing educational piece that could be shared with county leaders and officials, community foundations and organizations, school administrators and parents. We wanted the report to be a user-friendly tool that would pique people’s interest and engage them to take action.
Planning began when the YAS Committee and I discussed the deadline dates for the report and public release of the results. We developed a communications plan that included information about our budget, problems to address, target audience, desired outcome, potential barriers and special needs, partnerships, type of communications and deliverables, take away messages, project deadline, what we wanted people to do with the information and what action we wanted them to take.
The next step of the planning process involved a communications audit. I needed to develop an understanding of the previous reports and what information was presented to the public, to determine their expectations.
After we defined our goals, objectives, developed the communications plan and completed the communications audit, I collected more information to create the report: o
acknowledgments,
o
what is the YAS,
o
why is it important,
o
how did it get started,
o
what people can expect to find in the report,
o
information about the survey participants,
o
age of onset results,
o
methodology,
o
how to interpret the results, 2
o
margin of error,
o
result tables and charts,
o
risk and protective factor results,
o
frequency tables,
o
limitations,
o
committee, partnering organizations and community member quotes,
o
selected royalty free photography,
o
and what our community can do with the information.
The communications strategy included sharing and providing the report to the public at the results presentation. The attendees consisted primarily of the YAS Committee members, county officials, program coordinators, community organization and foundation representatives, various coalition members, school administrators and the media.
Additional reports, after the results presentation, were given to the Ottawa Area Intermediate School District, schools and board members requesting more reports and Ottawa County Administrators.
Budget, Materials Used & Execution
$2,000 budget used for the cost of printing.
$1,999 spent for 225 reports.
With a limited budget, we relied on committee members, my communications and design experience and community partners to help create and distribute the reports throughout the county.
Messages to the target audience: o
Message 1 – The YAS was created to find out about the needs and strengths of teens across Ottawa County.
o
Message 2 – The report was created to engage the public to take action. It gives us the opportunity to identify both risky and beneficial behaviors and help guide teens in becoming physically, emotionally and mentally healthy adults.
3
Communication and deliverables: o
50 page (8.50” x 11”) spiral bound printed and electronic reports distributed to YAS Committee members, Ottawa County administrators and officials, program coordinators, community organization and foundation representatives, various coalition members, school administrators, Ottawa Area Intermediate School District, schools and board members requesting more reports and the media. Also provided a link www.miOttawa.org/2013YAS to the full 94 page electronic report, so these groups may save a copy and forward it to their contacts.
o
Updated the website and created a shortened url www.miOttawa.org/2013YAS to better promote and access information.
o
News release to the contacts listed above. http://www.miottawa.org/MediaRoom/pdf/2014/04232014.pdf
o
Articles in local newspapers. http://www.grandhaventribune.com/article/947291 http://www.hollandsentinel.com/article/20140501/NEWS/140509965
o
Social media posts to www.facebook.com/miOttawaHealth and https://twitter.com/miocdph
o
Presentation to the public at Ottawa County Fillmore Complex on April 30, 2014 Community Report.
o
Publication in the May 2, 2014 issue of the County Administrator’s Community Digest. http://www.miottawa.org/Departments/Admin/pdf/Digest/2014/05022014.pdf
o
Publication in the county employee newsletter.
Results
Number of contacts who received the printed and electronic reports at the community presentation and throughout the county.
Number of contacts who received the news release.
Social media and website analytic reports to determine the target audience reach (posts viewed, shared, liked, commented, re-tweeted, increase in followers and visits).
Over time, YAS results can help evaluate the effectiveness of interventions developed to address pressing and prevalent teen issues.
4