The Marion County Public Health Department (MCPHD) partnered with MDR to conduct the 2024 Indiana Community Health Assessment Survey. The goal of this initiative was to gather comprehensive data on the health behaviors, needs, and perceptions of residents across Marion County, Indiana. MCPHD developed a 100-question survey instrument covering a wide range of topics including healthcare access, mental health, neighborhood conditions, discrimination, safety, and social support. MDR was responsible for implementing the survey and managing all aspects of data collection, analysis, and reporting.
To ensure broad representation, MDR used a probability-based address sampling approach and oversampled zip codes with high concentrations of Burmese residents. The survey was administered in six languages—English, Spanish, Hakha, Falam, Haitian Creole, and Kinyarwanda—and offered in both online and telephone formats. MDR mailed 45,000 survey invitations in two waves, followed by reminder postcards and letters. A $1 pre-incentive and $14 post-incentive were offered in the first wave, while the second wave offered a $15 post-incentive only. Email reminders and call center outreach were used to boost participation, with phone interviews conducted during evenings and weekends.
Data collection ran from September 26, 2024, to May 14, 2025, and yielded 4,518 valid survey completes. MDR implemented rigorous data quality checks to remove incomplete, duplicate, and invalid responses. The final dataset was weighted to reflect the county’s adult population using design weights and raking adjustments based on age, gender, race/ethnicity, education, and federal poverty level. The final weighted dataset represents the demographic diversity of Marion County, with 25% of respondents aged 65+, 22% identifying as Black or African American, and 13% living below the federal poverty line.
MDR provided MCPHD with a full suite of deliverables including a methodological report, cleaned and weighted dataset, coded open-ended responses, and a data dictionary. Recruitment materials and survey instruments were also included in the final package. The project’s multi-mode, multilingual design and targeted sampling approach ensured inclusive participation and high-quality data to inform future public health planning and resource allocation in Marion County.
