3/20/18 Empowering Denver’s Youth to Conduct Health Assessment Work Culture of Data April 6 th , 218 Brenna M. Spencer-Castañón, B.A. Abigail Steiner, M.S., M.P.H. Welcome to Denver • Demographics • Population: 693,060 • Hispanic or Latino: • Percent change 2010 – 2016: +15.5% 30.5% • Below Federal Poverty Level – 18.30% • Black: 10% • White Alone: 54% 2 Meet Denver’s Youth In 2015 youth ages 13-25 104,982 lived in Denver, which is 15% of the Denver population. 45% identify as Hispanic 5% identify as Asian 39% identify as White-non Hispanic 1% identify as American Indian 10% identify as Black-non Hispanic (Colorado Department of Local Affairs, 2015) 3 1
3/20/18 Key Terms § Community Based Participatory Research (CBPR) – A collaborative research approach that directly involves the community affected by the issues being studied in all aspects of the research Youth Leadership Team (YLT) § – Team of Denver youth hired by Denver Dept. Public Health & Environment/Denver Public Health to be the experts on youth health and conduct health assessment work 4 What is Denver’s Youth Health Assessment? A collaboration between Denver Public Health and Denver Department of § Public Health and Environment to better understand the health issues facing Denver’s Youth Included the participation of youth-serving community partners and the § creation of a Youth Leadership team to lead the assessment 5 What Makes This Assessment Different? 2017 Youth Health Assessment § Engaged the community and then went to the data Denver’s Public Health agencies were focused on looking § at things differently in this assessment to make the data effective and usable out of a commitment to health equity 6 2
3/20/18 WHY WE DID THIS Health Assessment in Denver DPH and DDPHE produce a health assessment every 3 - 5 years to: » Shed light on health status of Denver residents » Inform strategies designed to improve well-being of all residents » Prioritize health equity and clarify social & economic barriers to health WHY WE DID THIS Improving upon Denver’s Past Health Assessments Previously published health assessments missed the opportunity to: » Take a sufficiently deep dive to explore health issues facing a specific group. » Engage community members to actively participate in and lead the process. » Ask the target population to define assets and protective factors for success. CBPR OVERVIEW Community-Engaged Approach ***Image Adapted from Let’s Talk Cochrane 3
3/20/18 YHA OVERVIEW Community-Engaged Approach Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) Phases of Work » Phase 1 – Planning & Youth Leadership Recruitment » Phase 2 – Community Engagement » Phase 3 – Synthesis » Phase 4 – Quantitative Supplement » Phase 5 – Product Development » Phase 6 – Launch » Phase 7 – Dissemination & Empowerment YHA OVERVIEW Community-Engaged Approach Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) DPH and DDPHE recruited a group of youth from across Denver to form a Youth Leadership Team (YLT) for this work. » 100+ applied. 9 selected. » Trained in assessment research » Trained in social and economic barriers to health » Met January 2017 – January 2018 » Guided this work as paid consultants and SMEs YHA Core T eam provided support to the YLT . 12 4
3/20/18 WHA T WE DID Data Collection To understand issues affecting youth health in Denver and youth-defined opportunities to support youth success, the YLT designed a survey and YHA core team conducted community-partner interviews. WHA T WE DID Supported and trained youth in Assessment related decisions including: § – How we would and could obtain data – What were the questions that needed to be asked • Based on what they had learn about health assessments, social determinants of health, and their lived experiences – What did we want to know • Most difficult part of the process!! 14 WHA T WE DID 1 What is the most important issue impacting your health the survey asked and the health of the young people you know? Why? two open-ended 2 What does success look like for you in your community? questions: Data collected 447 youth peer surveys 4 listening sessions with youth partner organization 21 interviews 5
3/20/18 WHA T WE DID Data collected Allowed for a deep dive into the questions and ability to 447 youth peer gain a deeper insight into the surveys topics youth discussed 4 listening sessions with youth Allowed for the youth leaders to reach youth that are partner organization 21 interviews traditionally harder to reach via survey methods 16 17 WHA T WE DID Data Analysis and Synthesis » YLT reviewed all youth survey responses and YHA core team reviewed key findings from community partner interviews » Key themes emerged through collaborative review and group discussion » Youth leaders led a conversation with YHA Core Team members to synthesize key strengths and challenges in youth health. » Traditional surveillance data sources (12) were analyzed to complement qualitative findings 6
3/20/18 WHA T WE DID Report Development and Community Feedback » YHA Core Team drafted summary report » YLT and public health staff provided feedback on drafts to clarify and strengthen messaging » Young people from across the city were invited to in-person events to provide feedback on whether key messages matched their experiences or the experiences of youth in their communities » Community partners came together to review and discuss the findings and feedback What the Community Thought About This Report Conducting a health assessment through authentic and structured community engagement is Youth not involved in somewhat novel as a public health practice. writing this report said the findings » 1 feedback session with community partners resonated with them » 2 feedback sessions with youth and that there were » Ensured data was interpreted correctly no major health topics » Provided specific examples missing. » Community partners brainstormed next steps What We Found 21 7
3/20/18 KEY FINDINGS Young people want to be engaged in decisions that impact their lives. Youth in Denver want to be: » Treated and respected as unique, multi-faceted individuals » Guided toward a positive and healthy future » Resilient and able to bounce back » Connected to their communities KEY FINDINGS Young people want to be engaged in decisions that impact their lives. What Stands in The Way of Youth Health? » Mental health (specifically depression) » Pressure and expectations to perform well » Challenges related to living a healthy life » Contact with the criminal justice system » Exposure to violence » Rapid population change in communities » Substances such as alcohol and marijuana KEY FINDINGS Young people want to be engaged in decisions that impact their lives. What Does Success Look Like for Denver Youth? » Being treated as unique and complex individuals » Having their perspective and voice valued » Having the ability to realize their current and future potential » Interacting with systems that support and cultivate resilience 8
3/20/18 What We Can Do! 25 § Validate the complex demands on young people’s time and the overwhelming pressures they face § Advocate for comprehensive, youth-friendly behavioral health services (including mental health and substance use services) 26 § Support policies and programs that create access to healthy food and physical activities § Create safe community spaces like Mental Health Center of Denver’s drop-in center and dedicated youth library spaces where young people can feel safe gathering and spending time with their peers 9
3/20/18 § Expand access to youth friendly health clinics Recognize that youth experiences in Denver are often unique based on § each community’s experience and assets; each community deserves focused attention 28 § Acknowledge that community trauma impacts youth and their families, and explore ways to mitigate those impacts and promote community resilience § Align with community action groups to ensure that youth concerns and youth voices are included in those efforts 29 Conclusion Don’t be afraid to have the community direct (especially youth!) in health assessment work 30 10
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