• "How many Americans are affected by cardiovascular disease each year?"
• "Are there geographic gaps in access to health care?"
• "How do the leading causes of death in the United States differ from those worldwide?"
• "Do mRNA vaccines, like for COVID-19, cause cardiovascular events?"
• "Does the use of oral contraceptives (birth control pills) increase the risk of breast cancer?"

The answers to these important questions and many others can be found in data collected by government, private, and non-profit agencies and organizations. The health statistics reported by these groups are critical to monitoring trends in the health status of populations, planning how health care resources are distributed, and evaluating the effectiveness of public health interventions.

Designed for educators, information specialists, and students in the health sciences, this course describes different types of health statistics, how they are collected, and where they can be found.