Behavioral Surveys
What are behavioral surveys? Ask people to respond to questions about actions or behaviors that affect their well-being Focus on what people do rather than what people think Must be taken as self-reports
Why would you need to use behavioral surveys? Behavioral surveys can be used to: Determine the extent of the problem in your community Raise public awareness about the issue Evaluate the success of the initiative
When should you use behavioral surveys? Behavioral surveys should be conducted at regular intervals, depending upon the resources your group has, so you can keep you finger on the pulse of the community.
How do you conduct a behavioral survey? Obtain behavioral data; Tabulate the data; Plot the data and provide feedback; Use the data to determine the level of risk, raise public awareness, and evaluate effectiveness.
Obtain behavioral data Define your objectives for the survey Ask yourself: What do we hope to learn from this survey? Who do we want to survey? How will the information we obtain help us achieve our goals and objectives? Write a survey with questions related to your group's objectives that addresses the specific needs of your group and your community.
If appropriate: Consider conducting a random phone survey Check with other area groups to see if any of them have already conducted surveys you can use Consider contacting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta for information
Tabulate the data Calculate the data to determine: The percentage of people who engage in risk behaviors in your community; and The extent of the issue in your community
Plot the data and provide feedback Plot the data in a chart form to have a visual representation of the problem and see any trends of the problem over time Provide feedback to those involved with the initiative
Use the data Decide how to use the data: To help you determine where the greatest risk lies, and how you can address it To raise public awareness about the issue To evaluate the effects of the initiative