OBJECTIVES: To best serve consumers, organizations that provide population health services are required to identify strategies for understanding their community’s health needs. This study sought to utilize a mixed methods approach to identify community health priorities in a rigorous and feasible way.

METHODS: Free listing interviews were conducted throughout a county in Pennsylvania, USA. Individuals were asked to list 1) things that improve their health, 2) health concerns, and 3) barriers to being healthy. Responses were grouped into qualitative domains and quantitatively analyzed using Smith's Salience index. Community-reported health priorities were identified as the domains with the highest salience indices and were juxtaposed with published disease prevalence data.

RESULTS: 98 respondents from 7 different regions within the county participated in free listing interviews. Demographics of respondents resembled those of the population: median age 55, 46% female, 88% Caucasian, 10% uninsured. The top 3 domains reported to improve health were: physical activity, eating healthy, and access to health services. The 3 most salient health concerns were hypertension, heart disease, spine and joint disease. (Published disease prevalence: Hypertension 30%, heart disease 21% of all deaths, arthritis 26%). The 3 most salient barriers to health were lack of physical activity, unhealthy eating, and work-related concerns (BRFSS data: Limited physical activity 27%, obesity 29%, uninsured 10%).

CONCLUSIONS: Free listing interviews are an effective method of identifying community-reported health priorities to inform the allocation of population health services that target these priorities.