Community Researcher Lab
Now that you're familiar with the purpose of the OptiHealth Network, the first skill you need to develop is the ability to engage individuals throughout your local community in creating a culture of optimal health.
The first step that an individual must take in order to engage in this process is to assess their personal situation.
This lab is designed to help you learn how to help individuals assess "their situation." Your role as an OptiHealth Community Researcher is simply to make connections and collect data.
The core of our research project is our Community Health Survey. To become familiar with this survey, read each question below along with the comments. You'll want to get so familiar with this survey that you'll be able to make it like a casual conversation -- as if you're simply getting to know a new acquaintance.
The first step that an individual must take in order to engage in this process is to assess their personal situation.
This lab is designed to help you learn how to help individuals assess "their situation." Your role as an OptiHealth Community Researcher is simply to make connections and collect data.
The core of our research project is our Community Health Survey. To become familiar with this survey, read each question below along with the comments. You'll want to get so familiar with this survey that you'll be able to make it like a casual conversation -- as if you're simply getting to know a new acquaintance.
Community Health Survey
* Indicates a required field.
Date: __ __ / __ __ / __ __ * (Fill-in as dd/mm/yy)
Researcher: ________________ * (Your name goes here.)
Name: First:__________ * Last:__________ * (Their name goes here. Be sure to get the spelling and pronunciation right.)
Relation: * (Indicate your relation to the person who you will be interviewing. Mark all that apply.)
Source: _______ (Specify the relation indicated above: Uncle, Joe's friend, Mentone Church, Riverside Health Expo)
City: _______________ * "In what city do you live?"
State: __ __ * (Don't ask. Fill-in the two-letter abbreviation.)
Zip: __ __ __ __ __ * "What is your Zip Code?" (This is for research purposes. Five-digits are sufficient.)
Local: * "How long have you lived in this area?" (Select one of the following.)
Where? ________ (If not native to this area, ask:) "Where did you come from?"
Why? ________ (If not native to this area, ask:) "What brought you here?"
Gender: * (Don't ask, just indicate the obvious.)
Age-Range: _____ * (Do not ask: How old are you? Instead, ask:) "In what Age-Range are you, ___-___?" (Try to start with an age-range that is younger than you suspect they are. They'll probably just state their age. Then select one of the following.)
Cultural Context - Use the questions below to have a conversation and discover as many details as indicated.
(Remember, our purpose is to create a culture of optimal health, so we need some real information here, but don't interrogate them, just have an open conversation. Make notations as they are talking. Keep the conversation going, but don't interrupt.
Busy-ness: * "So, what do you do with all your time, these days?" (Mark all that apply.)
Language: (If they speak fluent English, indicate and continue. If not, ask:) "What is your preferred language?" (If not English or Spanish, leave blank.)
Other: ________ (If not listed above, fill-in their preferred language.)
Race/Ethnicity: (This is for research purposes. If it's obvious, indicate and continue. If not, ask:) "What's your ethnic background?" (Then select one of the following. If not listed, leave blank.)
Other: ________ (If not listed above, fill-in their ethnic background.)
Marital Status: "Are you _____?" (Don't get into the details, unless recently widowed and they want to share.)
Children: "Do you have any children?" (Skip if 12-17.)
Education: "Did you go to college?" (Skip if 12-17.)
School: ________ "What school/college/university do/did you attend? and "What year did/will you graduate?"
Occupation: __________ (Fill-in what their specific job is.)
Duration: "For how long have you been doing that?"
Previous Work: __________ (IF older, but new to their current job, ask:) "What other kind of work have you done?"
Socio-Economic Status: (Don't ask, just make your best guess based on your conversation.)
Perceived Healthcare Needs - You may briefly talk about any factor listed below to confirm and qualify.
Health Rating: * "How would you rate your over-all health?" (You may need to adjust their answer based on the next item.)
Medical Status: (Explain and ask:) "Now, I need to ask about your Medical Status, but you may refuse to answer any of the following questions: Are you ___?" / "Do you have ___?" (Mark all that apply.)
Other: ________ "Do you have any other medical conditions that concern you?" (If no, leave blank.)
Obesity: * (Don't ask. Indicate based on your observation.)
Lifestyle Risks: "Do you often have difficulty with ___?" (Mark all that apply.)
Other: ________ "Is there anything else about your lifestyle that concerns you?" (If no, leave blank.)
Health Interests: "If you had a magic wand, which of the following would you change? (Mark all that apply.)
Other: ________ "Is there anything else about your health that you'd like to change?" (If no, leave blank.)
Resources: "If you needed help with something, to whom would you most likely turn?" (Mark all that apply.)
Other: ________ "Is there anyone in particular that has been especially helpful to you?" (If no, leave blank.)
Readiness: "Which of the following do you feel ready to tackle?" (Skip the item if it's not applicable. Mark all that apply.)
Other: ________ "Is there anything else that you feel you're ready to take on as a self-improvement challenge?" (If no, leave blank, but try to help them clarify their immediate health need or desire.)
Personal: "Is there anything going on in your life that could impact a lifestyle change at this time? (Such as: a serious medical condition, family issue, financial/legal problems, etc. If no, leave blank.)
Unique: ________ "What is ONE thing you would say is unique about YOU?" (Try, but if nothing, leave blank.)
Notifications? * "Could the OptiHealth Research Team notify you regarding local Lifestyle Medicine support services related to your personal health concerns? (Try to get their consent, because this helps support our research and often includes discounts for them, but don't pressure.)
(If Yes above, ask:) "How would you prefer to be contacted?
Email: __________ (If email, ask:) "Is this an email address that you check regularly?" (CONFIRM.)
Phone #: (___) ___-____ (If phone #, ask:) "Do you prefer Voice or Text messages?" (Indicate with a V or T, and be sure to include their area code. CONFIRM.)
Submit - Many of the responses are not "required," so please review the form for completeness BEFORE submitting. If you left any required responses blank, it will alert you to them.
* Indicates a required field.
Date: __ __ / __ __ / __ __ * (Fill-in as dd/mm/yy)
Researcher: ________________ * (Your name goes here.)
Name: First:__________ * Last:__________ * (Their name goes here. Be sure to get the spelling and pronunciation right.)
Relation: * (Indicate your relation to the person who you will be interviewing. Mark all that apply.)
- Personal (friend, relative, acquaintance)
- Referral (someone referred to you by a person that you have already interviewed.)
- Organizational (a participant from an organization -- church, school, business -- that is promoting the survey)
- General (any random participant that responded to your public solicitations)
Source: _______ (Specify the relation indicated above: Uncle, Joe's friend, Mentone Church, Riverside Health Expo)
City: _______________ * "In what city do you live?"
State: __ __ * (Don't ask. Fill-in the two-letter abbreviation.)
Zip: __ __ __ __ __ * "What is your Zip Code?" (This is for research purposes. Five-digits are sufficient.)
Local: * "How long have you lived in this area?" (Select one of the following.)
- < 1 year
- 1-3 years
- 4-10 years
- >10 years
- Born and raised
Where? ________ (If not native to this area, ask:) "Where did you come from?"
Why? ________ (If not native to this area, ask:) "What brought you here?"
Gender: * (Don't ask, just indicate the obvious.)
- Male
- Female
Age-Range: _____ * (Do not ask: How old are you? Instead, ask:) "In what Age-Range are you, ___-___?" (Try to start with an age-range that is younger than you suspect they are. They'll probably just state their age. Then select one of the following.)
- 12-17
- 18-25
- 26-35
- 36-45
- 46-55
- 56-65
- 66-75
- 76-85
- 86+
Cultural Context - Use the questions below to have a conversation and discover as many details as indicated.
(Remember, our purpose is to create a culture of optimal health, so we need some real information here, but don't interrogate them, just have an open conversation. Make notations as they are talking. Keep the conversation going, but don't interrupt.
Busy-ness: * "So, what do you do with all your time, these days?" (Mark all that apply.)
- Part-time student
- Full-time student
- Part-time parent
- Full-time parent
- Employed part-time
- Employed full-time
- Self-employed
- Part-time hobbies
- Full-time hobbies
Language: (If they speak fluent English, indicate and continue. If not, ask:) "What is your preferred language?" (If not English or Spanish, leave blank.)
- English
- Spanish
Other: ________ (If not listed above, fill-in their preferred language.)
Race/Ethnicity: (This is for research purposes. If it's obvious, indicate and continue. If not, ask:) "What's your ethnic background?" (Then select one of the following. If not listed, leave blank.)
- Black
- White
- Hispanic
- Asian
- Middle-Eastern
Other: ________ (If not listed above, fill-in their ethnic background.)
Marital Status: "Are you _____?" (Don't get into the details, unless recently widowed and they want to share.)
- Single
- Married
- Divorced
- Widowed
Children: "Do you have any children?" (Skip if 12-17.)
- None
- Young at home
- Grown and gone
- Adult Children + Grand Children
Education: "Did you go to college?" (Skip if 12-17.)
- High school only
- Trade School
- Some college
- College degree
- Professional
School: ________ "What school/college/university do/did you attend? and "What year did/will you graduate?"
Occupation: __________ (Fill-in what their specific job is.)
Duration: "For how long have you been doing that?"
- <1 year
- 1-3 years
- 4-10 years
- >10 years
Previous Work: __________ (IF older, but new to their current job, ask:) "What other kind of work have you done?"
Socio-Economic Status: (Don't ask, just make your best guess based on your conversation.)
- Government Assistance
- Low Income
- Middle Income
- High Income
Perceived Healthcare Needs - You may briefly talk about any factor listed below to confirm and qualify.
Health Rating: * "How would you rate your over-all health?" (You may need to adjust their answer based on the next item.)
- Critical
- Poor
- Fair
- Good
- Excellent
Medical Status: (Explain and ask:) "Now, I need to ask about your Medical Status, but you may refuse to answer any of the following questions: Are you ___?" / "Do you have ___?" (Mark all that apply.)
- Under the care of a doctor
- Taking Rx medication
- High blood pressure
- High cholesterol
- Diabetes
- Heart disease
- Cancer
Other: ________ "Do you have any other medical conditions that concern you?" (If no, leave blank.)
Obesity: * (Don't ask. Indicate based on your observation.)
- Underweight
- Healthy weight
- Overweight
- Obese 1
- Obese 2
- Obese 3
Lifestyle Risks: "Do you often have difficulty with ___?" (Mark all that apply.)
- High stress levels
- Not getting enough sleep
- Unhealthy food choices
- Not getting regular exercise
- Limited social support
Other: ________ "Is there anything else about your lifestyle that concerns you?" (If no, leave blank.)
Health Interests: "If you had a magic wand, which of the following would you change? (Mark all that apply.)
- Lower your stress levels
- Enhance your social support
- Improve your eating habits
- Increase your fitness level
- Lose some weight
Other: ________ "Is there anything else about your health that you'd like to change?" (If no, leave blank.)
Resources: "If you needed help with something, to whom would you most likely turn?" (Mark all that apply.)
- Family member
- Close friend
- Teacher / Coach
- Co-worker
- Pastor
- Professional (doctor, therapist, lawyer, etc.)
Other: ________ "Is there anyone in particular that has been especially helpful to you?" (If no, leave blank.)
Readiness: "Which of the following do you feel ready to tackle?" (Skip the item if it's not applicable. Mark all that apply.)
- Learn more about disease self-management
- Develop better coping skills for managing stress
- Fitness training to get regular exercise
- Nutrition education for better meal planning
- Diet and exercise for healthy weight loss
- Develop a healthier lifestyle in general
- Enhance inter-personal relationships
Other: ________ "Is there anything else that you feel you're ready to take on as a self-improvement challenge?" (If no, leave blank, but try to help them clarify their immediate health need or desire.)
Personal: "Is there anything going on in your life that could impact a lifestyle change at this time? (Such as: a serious medical condition, family issue, financial/legal problems, etc. If no, leave blank.)
Unique: ________ "What is ONE thing you would say is unique about YOU?" (Try, but if nothing, leave blank.)
Notifications? * "Could the OptiHealth Research Team notify you regarding local Lifestyle Medicine support services related to your personal health concerns? (Try to get their consent, because this helps support our research and often includes discounts for them, but don't pressure.)
- Yes
- No
(If Yes above, ask:) "How would you prefer to be contacted?
Email: __________ (If email, ask:) "Is this an email address that you check regularly?" (CONFIRM.)
Phone #: (___) ___-____ (If phone #, ask:) "Do you prefer Voice or Text messages?" (Indicate with a V or T, and be sure to include their area code. CONFIRM.)
Submit - Many of the responses are not "required," so please review the form for completeness BEFORE submitting. If you left any required responses blank, it will alert you to them.
After getting familiar with the questions above, use the link below to access the online practice version of our Survey.
- Take the survey for yourself and submit the form. Contact Us if you have any problems.
- Arrange to interview 5 of your contacts over the next few days to practice the Survey/Interview process.
After you get certified as an OptiHealth Community Researcher, you'll have the option to gain access to our integrated online Survey form to use in your marketing efforts and for professional validation purposes.