1. The Rocky Mountain Research Data Center
Advancing the Frontiers of Social Science: Opportunities and Challenges
Jani Little, Executive Director
Katie Genadek, Expected Administrator
The Rocky Mountain Research Data Center
A local and limitless data resource
Jani Little, Executive Director
The Rocky Mountain Federal Statistical Research Data Center
(RMRDC)
Jani Little
Executive Director

2. What is a Federal Statistical Research Data Center (FSRDC)?
--RMRDC is one of many FSRDCs
--A secure computing lab where restricted data, collected by federal statistical agencies, can be accessed FOR STATISTICAL PURPOSES ONLY
--FSRDCs are managed by an on-site Census employee—the administrator— who guides researchers on proposal development, enforces security guidelines, and serves as liaison with the research community.

4. 9 in 2009 and 24 in 2016

5. The RMRDC Consortium Full Members: Supporting Members:
UC Colorado Springs
Colorado State Government
University of Northern Colorado

6. CSPH (Anschutz and CSU) Advantages to Faculty, Grad Students, and Affiliated Researchers:
--Free access to RMRDC services and secure laboratory
--NCHS Data Fees Paid for first three proposals
before July 1, 2020
--Researchers with continued use are expected to write grant proposals and include lab fees

7. RMRDC: The Physical Facility
Opened: August, 2017
Location: IBS Building on CU Boulder Campus
--10 thin client workstations to access FSRDC servers
--Secure communications that tunnel over campus internet
--Contains the Administrator’s office
--Badge Reader at Entrance
--24/7 Security System with camera
--no electronic devices allowed
--NOTHING leaves the secure lab without approval

8. RMRDC: The Physical Facility

10. Advantages of FSRDC Research:
--Microdata not available publicly
firms and establishments
children
--Variables not available in public versions of data sets
(e.g., low level geography, precise income)
--Full censuses and samples microdata (Decennial Census, ACS, CPS)
better estimates of rare events, small populations, small areas

11. Some Types of Health Data
Census Business data
Health Insurance
Census and Population Surveys
Food security and Health
Local Context
Individual Health Data
Suicide and Deaths of despair
Child Mortality
Education and Health
Immigrant Health

12. Neighborhood context used in studies to show effects on:
Neighborhood Data (Census microdata aggregated to tract or block group)—used to characterize residential context
Neighborhood context used in studies to show effects on:
Physical and Mental Health
Newly Released data—Moving to Opportunity (MTO)
--a 10-year research demonstration that combines tenant-based rental assistance with housing counseling to help very low-income families move from poverty-stricken urban areas to low-poverty neighborhoods in Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York City 
--improved health effects have been found

13. Census Individual/Household Data—Food Security and Health
Current Population Survey Food Security Supplements
Annual , state representative, lowest geography is county,
general health question
American Community Survey
Annual , largest Census survey, 1.5% of U.S. population
Lowest geography is block group
Free and reduced lunch question
Health insurance question
Food Acquisition and Purchase Survey (FoodAPS)
N=4826 nationally representative households 
Detailed information was collected about foods purchased at home and away from home
Includes Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) households,
Includes low-income households not participating in SNAP,
Includes higher income households.

14. Individual Health Data
National Vital Statistics System (NVSS) Data Release and Access Policy
National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) linked with National Death Index ( )
Annual Sample that is Nationally and Regionally Representative
Family, Household and Person Self-Report Data
Extensive Health and Social Psychological Measures including
Depression, anxiety
Other Mental Health Conditions
Other Emotional or Behavioral Problems
Used to study
child deaths
suicides and deaths of despair

15. Individual Health Data
National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES)
Health data comes from Medical exams
Provides prevalence data on selected diseases and risk factors
Monitors trends in diseases, behaviors, and environmental exposures
Mental Health Disorders, Depression, Sexual Behavior
Used to study
education and health
health of immigrants
Youth -- Alcohol and Drug Use, ADHD, STDs,

16. National Survey of Children’s Health
National telephone survey of households with at least 1 child,
N= 91,642
Demographics, Health and Functioning, Home Environment,
Early Childhood Care, Developmental Screening,
Adolescent School, Exercise, Emotional Difficulties
Family Functioning and Parental Health
Neighborhood and Community
All variables restricted
County and zip code geography available
Established differences between married and non-married and child health; Married; cohabiting step families; single parent, extended kin families
Linked with public data on state-level family and welfare policies

17. RMRDC: Health Projects Approved as of April, 2018
Patrick Krueger and Melanie Tran (UC Denver) “Small Businesses and Employer- Sponsored Health Insurance”
Chloe East (UC Denver) "The Effect of SNAP on Children's Health: Evidence from Immigrants' Changing Eligibility"
Richard Rogers (CU Boulder)  "Early Life Mortality in the United States"
Fernando Riosmena (CU Boulder) "The Role of Local Context on the Hispanic Health Paradox and Immigrant Health Adaptation Processes“
Gina Li and Colleen Reid (CU Boulder) “Forecasting Daily Heat-Related Deaths in U.S. Counties“

18. Useful Websites Restricted NCHS Data
Restricted AHRQ Data

19. Requirements for Any FSRDC Project:
--Research projects must undergo a formal approval process with the agency that owns the data, e.g., Census, NCHS, AHRQ
--Researchers must go through a background investigation that qualifies them for “Special Sworn Status (SSS)” which makes them an unpaid Census Bureau employee.
--Results must be formally reviewed for disclosure violation before they leave the secure facility.
Currently 260 active projects, 50% are Census