Local Health Improvement Initiative Relies on Your Responsiveness
Wednesday. June 2, 2004

It’s for you!  By taking a few minutes to answer questions about their health and health care experiences, local residents play an important role in improving health care services throughout the region.

Southeastern, PA, June 1, 2004 – Starting in June, the Philadelphia Health Management Corporation (PHMC) will conduct the 2004 Southeastern Pennsylvania Household Health Survey, a major telephone survey to examine the health and health care experiences of Southeastern Pennsylvania residents.  When the Survey is complete, over 10,000 households throughout Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia counties will have been randomly contacted by telephone and asked questions about health status, health screenings, use of health services, health insurance, and personal health behaviors. The Survey will continue through August.

Previous Household Health Surveys found that:

• Older adults in Southeastern Pennsylvania, who live in a community in which neighbors have worked together on a community project, are less likely to report signs of depression than those whose neighbors have not worked together (10.2% vs. 15.7%);
• The percentage of smokers varies across the five counties, with a low of 16.1% in Montgomery County, to a high of 24.9% in Philadelphia;
• Even though the percentage of teens diagnosed with a mental health condition is nearly twice that of younger children, younger children (ages 5-12) are more likely to be receiving treatment; and 
• Adults living below the Federal Poverty Level are more likely to have diabetes compared to non-poor adults.

The 2004 Southeastern Pennsylvania Household Health Survey is a part of PHMC’s Community Health Data Base project.  The Community Health Data Base is supported by The Pew Charitable Trusts, the William Penn Foundation, the United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania, and local health care providers, human service, and government agencies.  The first Household Health Survey was conducted in 1983.  In the past decade, the survey has been conducted every other year.

PHMC is a non-profit, public health organization committed to improving the health of the community through outreach, education, research, planning, technical assistance, and direct services. PHMC is a Member Agency of the United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania.