Title: Poll results: CHPPD members like “Discussing ideas with other professionals

Author:

Section/SPIG: Community Health Planning and Policy Development

Issue Date:

How members would like to be involved bar chart 
Bar chart showing how CHPPD members would like to involved in section activities
A Web survey was sent out in early August to Community Health Planning and Policy Development (CHPPD) Section members to assess their interest and needs in related to planning and policy development. Members were given two weeks to respond, and were informed that the first 100 responses would be counted as the CHPPD Section was trying out a free web survey service used. In all, 106 members responded within the two weeks. Of these 75 percent completed the survey on the first day, and 90 percent by the second day.

Members were asked three questions in the survey. They were:

  1. Why did you choose CHPPD as your primary section?

  2. If you were to be involved in an activity of your choice within CHPPD, what would it be?

  3. If you were put in a room with other community health planning and policy development professionals you don’t know, what in your opinion, is a good strategy to get to know them?


In addition, members were asked about their primary role in community health and/or health care, which region of the United States, or country outside the United States they worked in, and were invited to share any other comments.

The Findings


Academicians (26.3 percent, n=26) and Administrators (25.3 percent, n=25),were strongly represented among survey respondents, followed by educators/outreach coordinators (12 percent, n=12), students (9 percent, n=9), policy developers (8 percent, n=8), other (7 percent, n=7), and retired (2 percent, n=2). The Mid-Atlantic Region (27.3 percent, n=27) and West (22.2 percent, n=22) were strongly represented, and members from other regions Mid-West (14 percent, n=14), South (13 percent, n=13), Southwest (10 percent, n=10), West (22.2 percent, n=22) also responded. There were also two respondents from Canada.


  1. Of the 106 members who responded to the survey, 80.2 percent (n=85) chose the CHPPD as their primary section because they wanted to keep updated on health planning and policy information.

  2. Of the 98 members who responded to the second question, 64.3 percent (n=63) said they would like to be involved in discussing ideas with other professionals.

  3. In all, 47.1 percent (n=48) of the 102 members who responded to question 3 suggested that walking up to a colleague and asking them how they are involved in the field of community planning and policy development, in their opinion, is a good strategy to get to know them.


The detailed survey findings are posted on the CHPPD Web site at <http://www.ahpanet.org/CHPPD/>.

Next Steps


The CHPPD leadership committee members, at their Sept. 23 conference call, suggested that the Section Council members review the survey findings, and submit a response to the membership at the APHA Annual Meeting in Philadelphia. If CHPPD members would like to participate in the leadership committee conference call, please contact CHPPD Section Chair Tom Piper at <macquest@mac.com>.