In June 1997, Baptist Community Ministries (BCM) contracted with Tulane University School of Public Health to begin the development of neighborhood level risk behavior and community readiness data to better understand the context and underlying dynamics of the health sector in the Greater New Orleans area, specifically in Orleans Parish.
In order to develop baseline data for each neighborhood in terms of risk behaviors and community readiness, Tulane developed a survey tool based upon public domain surveys such as the Behavioral Risk Factor Survey from the Centers for Disease Control, the Harvard Medical School's Nurses' Health Questionnaire, and Healthier People Health Risk Appraisal from the Carter Center of Emory University. A number of questions were revised to reflect the population being surveyed. In 1998, the survey instrument was piloted in three neighborhoods of varying socio-economic status by an outside vendor, TELESURVEYS of Houston using Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing (CATI) as the method of data collection. Following the pilot study, and with minor revisions to the survey tool, 100 completed interviews (with individuals over the age of 18) were provided by TELESURVEYS in EACH of the 65 remaining neighborhoods for a total sample of 6,928. The data was collected in the last quarter of 1998. TELESURVEYS' data protocols included a six callback schedule at various times and days of the week before a number was discarded within a neighborhood. This protocol was designed with the intent of capturing 'transient' phones (on one day; off the next) that are characteristic of some lower income neighborhoods.
The categories of questions included health history, access and payment, risk factors, mental health, environmental health, community readiness as well as standard demographic questions. Once received, the data was stored by neighborhood and reported geographically.