1. Health Statistics on the Web… It’s as Easy as….1, 2, 3! Cheryl Rowan Public Health Outreach Coordinator National Network of Libraries of Medicine, South Central Region

2. Agenda Welcome and Introductions Overview ▫Data vs. Statistics ▫Key Features of Health Statistics ▫Uses of Health Statistics ▫Steps to Finding Health Statistics Sources of Health Statistics ▫Portals/Gateways ▫National Sources of Statistics ▫State/Local Sources of Statistics ▫International Sources of Statistics

3. Data vs. Statistics Data ▫“Raw” numbers ▫Counts of individual events or services ▫Collected at local, state, national, or international level Data Sets ▫Data collected and arranged logically according to definite criteria ▫May/may not represent entire population

4. Data vs. Statistics Statistics ▫Data already analyzed and summarized ▫Information presented as text, figures, graphs, or maps ▫Not always available freely or publicly on the Web ▫Most data on Websites is compiled statistics *Statistics are collected to meet the needs of the collector!

5. What do the statistics tell you?

6. To count … or not to count “Everything that can be counted does not necessarily count; everything that counts cannot necessarily be counted.” --Albert Einstein

7. Key Features of Health Statistics Population based Measure a wide range of health indicators for a community ▫Entire U.S., state, county, city, zip code

8. Key Features of Health Statistics Often collected and analyzed over a period of time Include different types of data ▫Vital (birth, death, marriage, divorce) ▫Morbidity & mortality ▫Use and cost of health care

9. Uses of Health Statistics Health statistics support the development of measures that allow public health authorities to monitor progress, mobilize activities, and provide support.* For example, Healthy People 2010 uses statistical data to form indicators and then measure progress in terms of these indicators. ▫http://phpartners.org/hp/phys_fit.htmlhttp://phpartners.org/hp/phys_fit.html *http://www.nlm.nih.gov/nichsr/usestats/index.htm

10. Uses of Health Statistics Used by a variety of people for a variety of needs. Provide key indicators about life and health in a particular region. Gauge disparities Measure progress Disease occurrence and potential Identify prevention targets

11. Uses of Health Statistics Help with public health program planning and evaluation. ▫Monitor progress ▫Measure health care costs ▫Mobilize activities ▫Plan for resource allocation Used in creation of health policy and legislation.

12. Steps to Finding Health Statistics 1. Formulate the question ▫General or specific ▫Geographic coverage ▫Time period ▫Age range of population ▫What is the ultimate purpose of these statistics?

13. Steps to Finding Health Statistics 2. Choose the best resource for the question. ▫Portals/gateways ▫Federal agencies ▫State and local agencies ▫International sources ▫Nonprofit organizations

14. Steps to Finding Health Statistics 3. Evaluate the results. ▫Are these statistics going to provide the information I need? ▫Evaluate the source of the information.

15. Steps to Finding Health Statistics 4. Repeat as often as necessary. ▫How much time do I have? ▫The process is never really done, but there should be a point at which the amount of information meets the need.

16. Sources of Health Statistics U.S. Government ▫Federal, state, local Organizations and associations ▫For profit ▫Non-profit

17. Health Statistics Portals/Gateways Websites that serve as a “gateway” to other sites Partners in Information Access for the Public Health Workforce ▫http://phpartners.org/http://phpartners.org/ ▫Health Data Tools and Statistics

18. Health Statistics Portals/Gateways National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) ▫http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/ ▫FastStats ▫Part of the CDC ▫Principal health statistics agency for the U.S. ▫Monitor the nation’s health ▫Provide information to support actions and policies relevant to health of the American people ▫Something for everyone! ▫NCHS Data Briefs

19. FastStats Example According to the most recent information, what is the percentage of adults 65 and over who received a pneumococcal vaccination?

20. National Statistics Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ▫http://www.cdc.gov/DataStatistics/http://www.cdc.gov/DataStatistics/ ▫National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) ▫Point of access to all public health data and statistics sites developed through CDC  FastStats A to Z  Behavioral Risk Surveillance System (BRFSS)  CDC Wonder  National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES)  Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS)

21. National Statistics Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) ▫World’s largest telephone survey ▫Tracks risks of health for adults ▫Self-reporting ▫All 50 states, D.C., Puerto Rico, Guam, U.S. Virgin Islands ▫Allows creation of customized data tables

22. BRFSS Example According to the most recent data, what is the percentage of adults in Oklahoma who are current smokers? How does this compare to the percentage of smokers ten years ago?

23. National Statistics Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS) ▫http://www.cdc.gov/injury/wisquars/index.htmlhttp://www.cdc.gov/injury/wisquars/index.html ▫Interactive database system ▫Customized reports ▫Fatal and non-fatal injury-related data

24. WISQARS Example According to the most recent information available, what was the most common cause of death for American Indians/Alaska Natives, age 35 – 44, in the state of Oklahoma? Is this the same as for Blacks? Is this the same for this population group in the U.S. as a whole?

25. National Statistics CDC Wonder (Wide-ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research) ▫Single point of access to a wide variety of numerical data from numerous sources ▫Manipulate date to run reports

26. CDC Wonder Example Has the percentage of individuals diagnosed with diabetes decreased, increased, or stayed about the same over the past ten-year period? How does the percentage for Tulsa County compare with the state overall?

27. National Statistics National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) ▫http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhanes.htmhttp://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhanes.htm ▫NCHS ▫Assesses health and nutritional status of adults and children (non- institutionalized civilian population) ▫Continuous survey since 1999 ▫Combines face-to-face interviews and physical exams

28. Federal Agencies Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) ▫http://samhsa.gov/http://samhsa.gov/ ▫Prevalence, treatment, and consequences of substance abuse in the U.S. ▫Includes information on drug-related emergency room visits, drug-related deaths, and the substance abuse treatment system ▫Also information on mental health topics

29. Federal Agencies Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) ▫Formerly HCFA ▫http://www.cms.gov/http://www.cms.gov/ ▫Used primarily by researchers and health care professionals ▫Statistics on enrollment, spending, and claims data for Medicare and Medicaid

30. Federal Agencies Agency for Health Care Research and Quality (AHRQ) ▫http://www.ahrq.gov/ ▫Healthcare quality, cost, patient safety, etc. ▫Resource for discharge-level health care data

31. Practice Exercises

32. State and Local Statistics Many states have their own system for reporting May include vital statistics ▫Births, deaths, marriages, divorces Statewide injury data collection Cities and regions may also provide data

33. State and Local Statistics State Health Facts Online (Kaiser Family Foundation) ▫http://www.statehealthfacts.orghttp://www.statehealthfacts.org ▫Allows comparisons on a state level

34. State and Local Statistics Community Health Status Indicators (CHSI) ▫http://communityhealth.hhs.gov /http://communityhealth.hhs.gov ▫County-specific data and reports ▫Compare to Health People 2010 targets ▫Compare to “peer counties”

35. CHSI Example Name three “peer counties” to Ft. Bend County, Texas.

36. State and Local Statistics America’s Health Rankings ▫http://www.americashealthrankings.org/http://www.americashealthrankings.org/ ▫Provided by the United Health Foundation ▫Yearly assessment of the health of the U.S., on a state-by- state basis ▫Every year for last 20 years

37. America’s Health Rankings Example What two states ranked the highest for Public Health spending in number of dollars per person for 2009? Is the same as for 2008?

38. State and Local Statistics County Health Rankings (Robert Wood Johnson Foundation) ▫http://www.countyhealthrankings.org/http://www.countyhealthrankings.org/

39. County Health Rankings Example How does Harris County rank in terms of the other 220 counties in Texas for overall health outcomes? Is there any parameter for which Harris County ranks higher/better than the average for Texas?

40. State and Local Statistics CDC SNAPS ▫ http://www.emergency.cdc.gov/snaps/http://www.emergency.cdc.gov/snaps/ ▫Information at the county and state level ▫Searchable by zip code ▫Derived from the 2000 Census and other CDC databases

41. CDC SNAPS Example What number of individuals report a physical disability in Santa Fe County, New Mexico?

42. State and Local Agencies Texas Department of State Health Services Center for Health Statistics ▫http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/chshttp://www.dshs.state.tx.us/chs

43. Example According to the Migration for Birth report, 2005, how many counties within the state of Texas recorded no births within that county?

44. 200 Zipcodes 42 Neighborhoods 5 Boroughs New York City Your Community Your Health New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/data/data.shtml

45. Federal Agencies U.S. Census Bureau ▫http://www.census.gov/ and http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/http://www.census.gov/ http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/ ▫Demographic data on the national, state, and county levels ▫Based on the most recent census

46. Example According to the 2008 Census estimate, were there more 12 year-old boys or girls in Texas? How many video rental stores were there in all of Texas in 2007? Is this more or less than in 2000?

47. Federal Agencies FedStats ▫http://www.fedstats.gov/http://www.fedstats.gov/ ▫Access portal to statistics from more than 100 Federal agencies

48. International Statistics World Health Organization – Statistical Information System (WHOSIS) ▫http://www3.who.int/whosis/menu.cfmhttp://www3.who.int/whosis/menu.cfm ▫Health-related epidemiological and statistical information from the WHO ▫Interactive database for core health statistics on the 193 WHO members

49. International Statistics GlobalHealthFacts.org ▫http://globalhealthfacts.orghttp://globalhealthfacts.org ▫World health data organized by country or topic Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) ▫http://www.paho.org/http://www.paho.org/ ▫Information exclusively on the Americas

50. Practice Exercises

51. In Summary Finding Health Statistics on the Web can be as easy as…1, 2, 3, (and maybe, 4)! Don’t be afraid to get started, and follow these simple steps: ▫1. Formulate the question ▫2. Search for answers ▫3. Evaluate the results ▫4. Repeat as often as necessary

52. Good Luck!... and Thank You for coming! Cheryl Rowan cheryl.rowan@exch.library.tmc.edu 713-799-7880