RRFSS E-News: Fall 2018
Health Unit Spotlight: Peterborough
“Peterborough Public Health (PPH) is excited to be involved with RRFSS for the first time!” With the support of the Local Health Integration Network (Central East), PPH collaborated with health units within this common boundary to choose a set of questions frequently used across the region. The potential benefit of this work is to strengthen the regional data set on RRFSS indicators, such as tobacco use and screen time amongst children. Also, the CE-LHIN and PPH each were able to include a handful of questions unique to their respective interests. In addition to assisting with health unit evidence needs, PPH hopes that this inauguration into RRFSS will help local stakeholders. For example, a municipality in PPH has just completed a Community Well- being Plan. PPH intends to share results from the ‘Social Cohesion’ module with this municipality and propose its usefulness for ongoing surveillance of local well-being.
RRFSS ‘On reserve’ surveys...
The Ontario Public Health Standards mandates Health Units to engage with indigenous communities. Currently ‘on reserve’ respondents are excluded from the RRFSS surveys. However, with RRFSS it is possible to survey ‘on reserve’ with provision of postal code information. RRFSS encourages health units to collaborate with their band leaders and partner to sample on reserve. Such collaborations would also overcome small sample size, encourage partnerships and meet the Standards.
RRFSS meets the Standards and more...
The 2018 Ontario Public Health Standards Protocol directs health units (page 10) to maximize, where feasible, its collection and use of RRFSS data. RRFSS also: - Gives members the opportunity to collect data on many topics not currently covered by health surveys to which they regularly have access. - Allows members to survey areas that other regularly-available surveys do not –including small areas down to six digit postal code. - Is a multi-mode survey including both landline and cell phone as standard data collection protocol. - Is possible on any size budget –big or small- and custom surveys based on a specific budget are also available. For further information contact:
