Citizens Encouraged to Participate in Chews-Ja Survey

Citizens are being encouraged to participate in the Jamaica Children and Youth Health and Well-being Survey (CHEWS-JA), which is currently being conducted across the island.

The survey, which began late August is expected to be completed by November 2022. It aims to collect information on the health, educational, and life experiences of young people ages 13-24 years.

The CHEWS-JA is a national, household tool designed to collect population data and analyse it to draw recommendations to develop more targeted and informed policy initiatives.

The survey, which is being conducted for the first time, is led by the Government of Jamaica (GOJ), through the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ), with funding from the United States Government.

The GOJ is also collaborating with the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation (EGPAF) and the University of the West Indies (UWI) to complete the survey.

Senior Director in the Social Policy Planning and Research Division at the PIOJ , Easton Williams, who chairs the Steering Committee providing oversight for the CHEWS-JA Survey, explained that “the goal of this survey is to make health and education programmes for young people in Jamaica better, by collecting data directly from young people”.

He said that the information will be used to come up with effective, targeted ways to respond to their needs.

“While participation in the survey is completely voluntary, the team would greatly appreciate support for CHEWS-JA in your community,” said Mr. Williams.

“We want to gather as much information from as many young people as we can to better understand their unique life and health experiences. To have the most representative data possible, we hope many young people will agree to participate and give their responses,” he added.

To ensure that the data collected is representative of what is happening throughout Jamaica, a random sample of households across the country has been selected. Each household will be visited by a trained interviewer, who will conduct face-to-face interviews with selected household members.

“The CHEWS-JA staff is working to collect this information every day of the week to allow convenient times for community members to participate. Typically, staff may arrive in the morning through the mid-afternoon, but they are aware of school and work hours, and will be considerate of these times for participating community members,” Mr. Williams said.

“They may also initially visit your household to see if there are any eligible young people and may be able to schedule the interview at a time convenient for your household,” he pointed out.

Mr. Williams said the CHEWS-JA survey must not be confused with the census survey that is being carried out by the Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN).

He said that the CHEWS-JA team will be identifiable by their branded uniform and official identification card.

“Our survey staff have brightly colored, branded t-shirts that say ‘CHEWS-JA’. They are also carrying official UWI identification cards, a letter of support from the PIOJ and a helpful flyer describing this survey that can be given to any interested community member and may be posted in a common space,” he noted.

The survey has been conducted in four parishes since it began in late August.

Mr. Williams told JIS News that the team is expected to continue the data collection process through October or November. “They…will be visiting all 14 parishes in Jamaica,” he noted.

To confirm the validity of the survey and the interviewers, persons may contact the PIOJ at (876) 960-9339 or the Department of Child and Adolescent Health, UWI, Mona, at (876) 618-0180.