Area residents invited to participate in the Durham Region COVID-19 Health Survey

Whitby, Ontario - Durham Region Health Department wants to hear from area residents through participation in the Durham Region COVID-19 Health Survey, an online survey of residents to gather information about how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting their health. This survey is open to all Durham Region residents 18-years and older and can be accessed at durham.ca/covidsurvey.

“We strongly encourage all Durham Region residents over 18-years old to participate in this survey,” said Mary-Anne Pietrusiak, Manager, Health Analytics and Research with the Health Department. “While participation is voluntary, feedback received will help the Health Department learn more about people’s opinions and behaviours to assist with planning and evaluating programs and activities to improve the health of our communities.”

Survey questions will cover a variety of topics such as: concerns about the pandemic and its impact on your health and well-being, and that of your family; your ability to meet your financial obligations; your ability to access health care services; and, the quality of response provided by your local public health unit. The length of time needed to complete the survey varies, but typically ranges from 10 to 20 minutes. All individual information will remain confidential and anonymous, and participants can decline to answer any questions that they are not comfortable with.

“To help ensure the best quality data, the Health Department is seeking a diverse range and large number of participants from all Durham Region municipalities,” Ms. Pietrusiak explained. “We want to hear from everyone – from millennials to seniors, farmers to downtown residents, Indigenous peoples to newcomers – all Durham Region residents 18 and older are invited to participate.” Results from the survey will be posted at durham.ca/novelcoronavirus.

The Durham Region COVID-19 Survey is a project of the Rapid Risk Factor Surveillance System (RRFSS), a collaborative effort between various public health units in Ontario and the Institute of Social Research at York University. The RRFSS is an on-going telephone survey of adults used to monitor public opinion on key public health issues and collect information on emerging topics of importance to public health. The Health Department has been running the RRFSS in Durham Region for almost 20 years. For more information or to access the Durham Region COVID-19 Health Survey, visit durham.ca/covidsurvey.

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For more information, please contact the Health Department