Which step involves identifying health problems in a community using surveillance data and stakeholder input?

• A. Problem Prioritization
• B. Needs Assessment
• C. Process Evaluation
• D. Outcome Evaluation

Answer: (B)

Needs assessment focuses on identifying health problems in a community by combining surveillance data with input from stakeholders to understand what needs attention and why. Surveillance data provide objective evidence—rates, trends, incidence, prevalence—while stakeholder input adds local relevance, priorities, and context. Together, they reveal which health issues are most pressing, for whom, and what resources might be needed to address them.

Problem prioritization would come after problems are identified, as a way to rank which issues to tackle first. Process evaluation and outcome evaluation look at how a program is implemented and what results it achieves, not at the initial discovery of health problems.