Community Health Assessment and Planning

PI USA: Dr. Eileen O'Keefe

PI India: Dr. Somashekhar Nimbalkar

Trainee: Dr. Nisha Fahey, Dr. Apurv Soni

Objectives:
To identify common health problems and related factors in the community served by CAM through a cross-sectional survey and stakeholder meetings. The study also examined differences in healthcare-seeking behavior between mothers and their children in rural Gujarat, India.

Background:

• This was the first project under RAHI-SATHI and helped establish trust and a foundational partnership between trainee-leaders and local collaborators.
• It reflects RAHI-SATHI’s commitment to understanding local health needs before designing solutions.
• The study involved brainstorming, design, implementation, and dissemination entirely led by trainees, with support from faculty and institutional partners.
• Funding was provided by the BU Dudley Allen Sargent grant ($7,000) for transportation and data collection, with in-kind support from CAM.

Outcomes:

• Majority (57.4%) of women reported postponing healthcare.
• Women were more likely to delay care for themselves (60%) than for their children (44.7%).
• Findings emphasized the need to improve quality and reduce financial barriers in rural healthcare programs.

Publications:

• Soni A, Fahey N, Phatak AG, et al. Differential in healthcare seeking behavior of mothers for themselves versus their children in rural India: Results of a cross sectional survey. Int Public Health J. 2014;6:57–66.
• Soni A, Fahey N, Jaffe A, et al. RAHI-SATHI Indo-U.S. Collaboration: The Evolution of a Trainee-Led Twinning Model in Global Health Into a Multidisciplinary Collaborative Program. Glob Health Sci Pract. 2017;5:152–63.