Residents may be asked to participate in health survey

Wauwatosa residents may receive calls on their home or cell phones this fall inquiring about health issues in hopes of tracking trend data, identifying risk factors for disease and opportunities for prevention and health care cost reductions, and help health departments and nonprofit organizations create programs and services to meet the community's most pressing needs.

Wauwatosa Health Department, Aurora Health Care, and the Center for Urban Population Health Research are conducting a community health survey of about 400 randomly selected residents, according to a Health Department news release.

Callers will ask questions on issues such as access to health care, tobacco and alcohol use, diet, physical activity, cancer prevention, heart health, immunizations and mental health.

The survey will take about 18 minutes to complete and respondents will remain anonymous. An independent research firm will conduct the survey. For phones with caller ID, the screen will show "Management Decisions."

The Wauwatosa survey is part of a broader initiative Aurora spearheaded across 30 communities in eastern Wisconsin in 2003. In total, more than 16,000 adults were surveyed. Follow-up surveys are being conducted to updated data.