What is my Health my Community?
In 2013, Vancouver Coastal Health, Fraser Health, and the eHealth Strategy Office at the University of British Columbia formed a partnership and launched the first ever My Health My Community survey – the largest population health survey in B.C. The survey is meant to create a set of baseline data that can be used to measure the on-going health and wellbeing of our communities and provide critical data to help support decision makers and service providers understand the trends, resourcing needs and health inequalities of the individuals who live and work in their communities.
The survey asks people, aged 18 and older who live in the Vancouver, Fraser Valley and Coastal Rural regions, to provide information about their health, lifestyle choices, community involvement and neighbourhood characteristics. This data will inform community profiles and provides a snapshot of indicators that affect our health and overall wellbeing. The inaugural survey was completed by over 33,000 participants and the data has been compiled into community profiles.
In early 2020, Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) and Fraser Health will launch the second MHMC survey.
How is the survey promoted and collected?
Participants can complete the survey online at and paper copies will be available at events and pop-ups throughout the region. To hear from as many people as possible, the survey is promoted through traditional media and social media, a mail-out, and in-person at events and through collaboration with key stakeholders and partners who benefit from the data. Additionally, the survey is also offered in Chinese and Punjabi and efforts are underway to engage harder to reach communities and those who are most vulnerable.
What about Privacy?
MHMC follows strict privacy practices that govern how personal information is collected, who will be able to see it and how that information will be used. Protecting personal information is extremely important to MHMC and safeguards are in place to ensure everyone’s privacy. For more information, please visit the Privacy page.
How Can I Get in Involved?
The second MHMC survey will launch in early 2020. This time around we are hoping to reach 65,000 residents in the Vancouver Coastal Health and Fraser Health region. Our goal is to ensure we are capturing an accurate snap shot of the health and wellbeing of our communities – meaning participants of all backgrounds, abilities, social-economic status and everyone in between are welcome and encouraged to participate. To that end, we need your help promoting the survey to those you serve by becoming a Community Champion. This might look like holding an event in your space, helping your clients complete the survey or sending out an email blast to your mailing list. Any little bit helps and we’re here to make it easy for you. Please visit our Spread the Word page for more information.