title: What do public housing residents say about their health?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Residents of public housing have poorer health indicators than comparably resourced individuals from the larger community.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To identify major health concerns, issues, and barriers to health of community members living in public housing developments, especially as related to cardiovascular disease prevention. To identify similarities and differences between data collected using two methods to inform future health promotion programs and policies.
  
  
  METHODS
  Key informant interviews were conducted with resident leaders and analyzed qualitatively in eight housing developments. Results were compared with quantitative data collected from a resident health survey with a large sample that analyzed individual and development-level characteristics, major health concerns, and barriers.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Several development-level characteristics were significantly associated with residents' health concerns and barriers, including development size, percentage of Spanish speakers, and presence of a tenant task force (TTF); important health promotion barriers included lack of resident engagement, inconsistency in programming, lack of knowledge of actions to prevent chronic disease, and lack of resources for health promotion. Safety-related health concerns were named as a priority.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Multiple data collection methods can yield important data about community health priorities and barriers; areas of difference and similarity between methods are especially useful in guiding health promotion efforts and opportunities.
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
authors.forename: Deborah J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Bowen
authors.forename: Tracy A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Battaglia
authors.forename: Samantha S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Murrell
authors.forename: Sarah G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Bhosrekar
authors.forename: Sarah E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Caron
authors.forename: Eugenia
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: Gerry
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.forename: Jo-Anna
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Rorie
authors.forename: Laura M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Maetschke
authors.forename: Rachel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Goodman
mesh_terms: D055812:Community-Based Participatory Research / Q000379:methods; D054521:Cultural Competency; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D054624:Health Status Disparities; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D006630:Hispanic or Latino; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D020380:Needs Assessment; D011638:Public Housing; D036301:Qualitative Research; D040242:Risk Reduction Behavior