The community health assessment is completed every three to four years by communities across the state to assess needs directly from residents. In Catawba County, the survey was conducted May through July 2023. More than 1,500 Catawba County workers or residents responded to the survey by email or in person.

Three priorities emerged:

• Improve access to affordable, healthy food, particularly in areas that face more barriers due to economic and mobility factors;
• Support resources that improve “brain health;” and
• Encourage the development of more spaces for activity and engagement.

Improving access to healthy food

According to Feeding America, Catawba County’s food insecurity rate (the number of people who don’t have enough to eat and don’t know where their next meal will come from) is higher than the state average. The rate in the county is even higher for Black and Latino residents.

Nineteen percent of those surveyed said access to healthy, affordable food should be a goal for the community. Cost, according to survey participants, was identified as being the biggest barrier to eating healthy foods.

While still higher than other parts of the state, the rate of food insecurity in Catawba County decreased from 2019 to 2021, according to Feeding America. The most recent data is from 2021. Catawba County Public Health Information Officer Emily Killian said there is still room for progress to make sure all residents have access to healthy foods.

She said the health department established a summer market on Thursdays from June through September in the department’s parking lot. Some of the neighborhoods around the department have been labeled by the United States Department of Agriculture as food deserts. 

Killian also praised efforts by partner organizations who encourage donations of healthier foods and groups that are educating students on nutrition. “Some people don’t know what they should be eating or how to prepare healthy foods for meals,” she said. 

Promoting brain health and mental well-being

Catawba County people also said improving mental health services, or “brain health,” is vital. “Brain health” is the term now being used by many mental health workers who view it as more inclusive when describing services they provide.

Nearly 25% of those surveyed said they would like to see an increase in brain health supports. Killian said a priority for the community is making sure people are getting connected with proper services and providing services outside of traditional settings, such as at a library instead of a therapist’s office.

“Brain health support is something we’ve made a priority for a decade,” Killian said. “Making sure people had opportunities to connect (with other people) came to light during COVID.”

Accessing safe spaces

More than half the people who took the survey reported feeling isolated. Less than 50% of those surveyed said they felt connected to the community.

Developing more spaces for engagement is a new priority for the community, though it falls in line with a past goal of increasing the number of spaces for physical health. From 2018 to 2022, the percentage of the population in Catawba County who lived within a half-mile of a park or one to three miles of a recreation center decreased. As a state, North Carolina saw its percentage of people within reasonable distance of a park or recreation center slightly increase. The most recent data for this metric are from 2022. 

Killian said that although the health department conducts the assessment and releases the results, the priorities, which come from concerns of the residents and workers of Catawba County as well as available health information, cannot be accomplished without support from the community. 

“One little organization can’t do much on its own,” she said, “but together we can do so much more.”

Want to know more?

The survey contained questions about a variety of topics, such as feelings of safety in the community, physical and mental health, transportation and access to healthy food. Some chose to answer questions from the survey and others chose to share their feelings and concerns during listening sessions with community organizations. 

The results of the CHA and additional information can be found at www.catawbacountync.gov/county-services/public-health.