Finding and Using Health Statistics

4. Finding Health Statistics Exercises

Overview


There are numerous sources of health statistics available. It’s important to think through the type of health statistics you are looking for to develop a search strategy. The following is some guidance on how to search by organization or resource:

  1. Identify the type of data you need to answer your research question. Do you need:
  • A numerical statistic or fact, such as prevalence rates, mortality rates, or other health indicators?
  • A complete data set for independent analysis?
  • A chart or figure?

  1. What is the geographic scope of your data needs?
  • County, state, nationwide, or global health data?
  • Individual-level data or aggregated data such as county-level data?

  1. Identify one or more organizations or agencies that are likely to collect or share the information you are interested in.
  • For example, the National Center for Health Statistics compiles statistics on virtually all aspects of health and health care, from chronic conditions and risk factors, to insurance and utilization. This is often a good place to start for U.S. health statistics.

  1. Look for a tab or link that says Data, Statistics, Research, etc. on the organization’s homepage.

  1. Identify a specific resource (such as any of those listed in this section) that answers your research need.
  • For example, if you want to compare various measures of health status between several states, then visit Kaiser’s State Health Facts.

This section introduces some of the major organizations and government agencies that collect and provide health statistics as well as search strategies for finding the right resources. Each resource page includes search exercises to give you practice finding health statistics online.

The resources discussed are:

National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) The NCHS has a mission to provide statistical data to improve the health of the American people.
World Health Organization (WHO) The WHO is a part of the United Nations. They act as leaders in worldwide health situations.
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) The AHRQ is an agency in the United States, dedicated to making American health care higher quality, safer, more efficient, and more effective.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) The CDC is the primary public health institute of the United States. They provide data on health care and disease.
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation County Health Rankings & Roadmaps The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation County Health Rankings is an online application with the health status of almost every county in the United States.
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) The CMS is a U.S. government agency that works with individual states to provide Medicare and Medicaid benefits.
Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) The Kaiser Family Foundation is a non-profit that offers research, journalism, and communications programs with a focus on health care.
United States Census Bureau The Census Bureau is the best source of current data and statistics on the U.S. population and economy.
HealthData.gov HealthData.gov is an online source for health-related data. It is constantly being updated, and includes thousands of data sets that can be downloaded.
Dartmouth Atlas of Health Care Based at the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice, the Dartmouth Atlas of Health Care provides data and resources about health care markets, divided into geographic areas.
State Health Departments Although varying across states, state health department websites will not only have health statistics, but they also will have county level data that can be used for analyses.
Academic Journal Databases Academic journal databases are large directories of journal articles, images, and scientific papers that have been indexed for easier identification.
Search Engines Search engines are websites used to search the internet with specific keywords.
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