Measurement to Promote a Healthier New Brunswick: Survey of New Brunswick, N.J. DataMaria B. Pellerano, MA, MBA, MPH;1 Eric Jahn, MD;1 Jaymie Santiago;2 Bonnie Petrauskas;3 and Jennifer Bradshaw4

1Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School; 2New Brunswick Tomorrow; 3Johnson & Johnson; 4City of New Brunswick

The primary implications of this project are: Ø  Healthier New Brunswick needs to develop its own data collection system

because New Brunswick’s demographic composition is vastly different from Middlesex County's;

Ø  A coordinated effort and central clearinghouse for data collection would reduce inconsistencies over time;

Ø  Collecting data on both health outcomes and social determinants of health can clarify the characteristics of problems;

Ø  Authors recommend that Healthier New Brunswick develop a system of core indicators that can measure the future success of health and wellness efforts across the City of New Brunswick.

INTRODUCTION

METHODS

Project Objectives: In order to develop a shared measurement system, the authors needed to:Ø  Ascertain whether or not county-level data is representative of New

Brunswick, N.J. demographics;Ø  Understand what data is available and who is collecting it for New

Brunswick; and, Ø  Suggest a core set of health and wellness indicators for measuring

change in order to continuously track progress.

Design:In line with Healthier New Brunswick priorities, the authors reviewed all publicly-available surveys, assessments, and studies of the health of residents of New Brunswick conducted from 2010 to 2013.  

Role of Community Participants in the Project: Community participants contributed to the shared measurement system by recommending data sources, suggesting measurements for baseline conditions, reviewing proposed indicators, and critiquing the final report.

FINDINGS

IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE

Healthier New Brunswick: The Healthier New Brunswick (HNB) Initiative was established through a collaborative effort between New Brunswick Tomorrow (convener of the Health Task Force),

Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School (convener of the Alliance for a Healthier New Brunswick), Johnson & Johnson, and the City of New Brunswick.

Figure 1: Schematic of Healthier New Brunswick

FUTURE DIRECTION

Comprehensive and consistent indicators are under development, which will build Healthier New Brunswick’s capacity to self-evaluate.

Major Findings:Ø  New Brunswick is demographically different from neighboring Middlesex

County communities, making it inappropriate to use county-level data to understand health outcomes and social determinants of health in New Brunswick.

Ø  Some New Brunswick data is collected in a manner that does not make it easily comparable to national data. For example, some questions on New Brunswick surveys do not match validated questions on national surveys such as the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System.

Ø  New Brunswick data has not been collected consistently over time. For example, researchers collected data on children’s dental health in 2004 but not since, making it impossible to discern a trend.

Ø  New Brunswick’s shifting demographics (size of population and racial/ethnic composition) make it difficult to compare population health outcomes over time.

Ø  A childhood obesity data set may provide a model for future work. The New Jersey Childhood Obesity Study not only provided detailed health outcome data (weight status of New Brunswick’s public school children) but also provided social determinant of health data (food and physical activity behaviors and environments).

This project was funded by Johnson & Johnson.

Corresponding author: Maria B. Pellerano Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, N.J.

Email: maria.pellerano@rutgers.edu

This project reviewed previous studies of the health and wellness of residents of New Brunswick, N.J. for the purpose of devising a shared measurement system for tracking stakeholder-identified concerns such as diabetes, asthma, tobacco use, and obesity.

Background:In New Brunswick, N.J., community members and stakeholders have identified health priorities such as diabetes, asthma, tobacco use, and obesity. Healthier New Brunswick (HNB) was established in 2001 to improve the health and health care of New Brunswick residents (see Figure 1to the right).

HNB mobilizes community members and organizations using a collective impact model (see Figure 2 below). Community stakeholders participate through the Alliance for a Healthier New Brunswick and New Brunswick Tomorrow’s Health Task Force.

 

Shared measurement systems are designed to collect data, measure results, and consistently track progress to ensure that efforts remain aligned. The authors wanted to understand the feasibility of a shared measurement system for New Brunswick including health outcomes and some social determinants of health.

About New Brunswick:New Brunswick is a small city (pop. ≈ 55,000) located on the southwestern bank of the Raritan River in central New Jersey. The City is home to a culturally and racially diverse population of homeowners, renters, and students. New Brunswick has a long history of attracting immigrants and today is home to a large immigrant population (36.8% foreign born) originating primarily from Latin America (82.9% of the foreign born). Almost 50% of the population self-identifies as Hispanic (49.9%), and Spanish is spoken at home by 45.5% of the population (U.S. Census, 2010).

ADVANTAGES OF COLLECTIVE IMPACTØ Builds on diverse partnerships that promote

health and wellness;Ø Creates awareness of community health

improvement efforts, priorities and available resources;

Ø Minimizes the duplication of efforts around community health services; and

Ø Provides partners with a shared understanding of how their individual efforts contribute to a broader community goal.

Figure 2: Collective Impact Model