Evaluating the impact of the 2nd Annual West Texas Health Disparities Symposium: a comprehensive survey analysis

INTRODUCTION: Health disparities in West Texas disproportionately affect rural and underserved communities, contributing to limited healthcare access and adverse health outcomes. The 2nd Annual West Texas Health Disparities Symposium brought together over 100 healthcare professionals, researchers, and students to explore socioeconomic, geographic, and cultural factors driving these disparities. This study assesses the symposium's impact on attendees' knowledge and perceptions through pre- and post-symposium surveys. METHODS: Electronic surveys were distributed before and after the 2024 symposium. Questions assessed familiarity with topics, including regional health disparities, policy impacts on healthcare practices, and intervention strategies. The data were analyzed via descriptive statistics and Wilcoxon rank-sum tests. RESULTS: Among the 139 registrants, 56 completed the presurvey, and 36 completed the post-survey. The survey respondents were predominantly female (66.0%), White (61.0%), Asian (20.0%), and aged 18-24 years (34.0%). Most were healthcare professionals (48.5%) or students (42.4%). While 73.0% had previously attended a symposium, only 36.0% had prior experience with health disparity events. Primary motivations for attendance included education on health disparities (86.0%), new research (63.0%), and networking (57.0%). Post-symposium results revealed significant increases in familiarity with policy impacts on healthcare (p = 0.01), understanding policy change avenues (p ≤ 0.01), recognition of regional health disparities (p = 0.017), and ability to present relevant data (p ≤ 0.001). Additionally, participants reported improved ability to propose interventions (p ≤ 0.001). Nearly all respondents (94.0%) felt that the symposium met their expectations, and 90.0% would recommend it to others. CONCLUSIONS: The symposium significantly enhanced participants' understanding of regional health disparities while equipping them with practical strategies to address these challenges. The overwhelmingly positive feedback underscores the importance of targeted educational incentives in fostering understanding, shaping perceptions, and informing public health discussions, thereby reinforcing efforts to reduce healthcare disparities in West Texas.