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Martizea Burrell and Dishaun Harris CARE.

Most of the time I watch TV," Yahaira says with a sheepish laugh during an interview on her health habits.

Yahaira, a large, pretty 25-year-old, was sitting on her living room couch in front of her big-screen TV while her two young daughters scurried in and out of the house. Yahaira was being interviewed by Martizea Burrell, a New Haven resident who works with CARE — the Community Alliance for Research and Engagement at Yale University.

CARE's 10 two-person interview teams have already conducted nearly 750 interviews. They will have done more than 1,000 by the end of next week when they plan to finish.

CARE is conducting wide-ranging, in-depth interviews about New Haven residents' health habits. The goal is to use the information collected to shape public policy to help prevent chronic disease, like obesity and diabetes.

Burrell spent about 20 minutes chatting with Yahaira about her habits — how often does she eat veggies (not very often); how much exercise does she get (she does yard work and cleans the house for a few hours each week and walks her daughters to and from school); when is she exposed to second-hand smoke (only in public), and how much time per day does she spend sitting?

Turns out Yahaira spends a lot of time sitting, watching TV.

"I take better care of the kids than I do myself," she says. "If you look around, I'm the only one overweight."

Talking out loud about her habits was an eye-opener, says Yahaira, who says she knows she should eat better, and doesn't exercise because she doesn't like it.

The questions aren't just trying to measure healthy habits, they're also gauging people's awareness of how their daily routine affects their health and what would help them be healthier.

Several participants have cited the cost of healthy food as a roadblock; some say multiple jobs leave no time for exercise; others say they're depressed and unmotivated.

Burrell's partner, Dishaun Harris, says he's seeing a lot of depressed people and many who can't afford groceries at the end of the month.

Participants receive a $10 grocery gift card at the end of the interview, and Harris says he's seen people go directly to the grocery store after the interview.

"It's hard being out here and hearing all these stories," he says. At the same time, Harris says, he's glad he's listening because he knows these stories can create meaningful change.

"We need to think outside of the box," when it comes to addressing chronic health problems, says Alycia Santilli, CARE's assistant director. "There are so many things in our daily lives that affect our health."

That's the point of the survey. By looking at the community as a whole — whether it's unsafe streets or unaffordable healthy food — researchers and community members can see what needs to change.

These interviews are CARE's second phase of an international initiative called Community Interventions for Health in which cities' health habits and options are scrutinized.

New Haven is the only city in the U.S. participating in the project. This summer, CARE employed city teens who surveyed neighborhood resources, like the state of sidewalks, the foods sold at corner stores and places to play and exercise, like jungle gyms and dance studios.

The next step is to interview people at area health centers and workplaces. Eventually, all the information will be compiled and some of the more active neighborhoods — civic engagement and neighborhood cohesiveness is also addressed in the survey — will be organized to work on the policy changes.

"We're hoping residents will think creatively about health policies," says Santilli.

Santilli, for example, would like to work on helping neighborhood stores to stock, market and sell healthier food choices.

But Harris and Burrell believe that even those who don't get involved at that level will still have benefited.

"The survey makes you very aware of your habits," says Burrell. Asking the questions over and over has even made Burrell change her own habits: "I go home and think, 'Did I have my vegetables today?'"