Finding Health Statistics Federal Sources You Should Know

Finding Health Statistics: Federal Sources You Should Know Deborah E. Hile November 10, 1999

Introduction Why federal web resources? n What types of statistics are available? n What methods are used for gathering statistics? n What does the data look like? n

Why federal web resources? Government sites have a strong web presence. n Agencies at all levels generate statistics. n Statistical information widely available on the World Wide Web. n Public domain & easy to acquire. n

Types of Statistics Raw numbers n Percentages n Rankings n Probabilities n

Methods for Gathering & Calculating Censuses n Surveys/Questionnaires n Panels n Tests n Experiments n

What does the data look like? Full-text n Abstracts n Citations n Graphs, tables, charts n

Federal Sources You Should Know FEDSTATS n MMWR Weekly Report n National Center for Health Statistics n U. S. Bureau of the Census n

Why should I know these sites? Evaluation Criteria: Currency of information n Methods clearly explained n Usability of the web site n Additional software required? n

FEDSTATS http: //www. fedstats. gov

FEDSTATS http: //www. fedstats. gov n What is the incidence of the common cold? n What are the 10 leading states reporting the highest # of AIDS cases among residents? n What is the percentage of children under age 18 in very good or excellent health by poverty status?

MMWR Weekly Report http: //www 2. cdc. gov/mmwr/

MMWR Weekly Report http: //www 2. cdc. gov/mmwr/ n What are the ten leading causes of death? n In 1998, how many confirmed cases of Salmonella infections were identified? n What is the pregnancy success rate with assisted reproductive technology (ART)?

National Center for Health Statistics http: //www. cdc. gov/nchswww/

National Center for Health Statistics http: //www. cdc. gov/nchswww/ n What is the number of Americans estimated to be 65 years of age and over in 2030? n What do trends indicate about expectant mothers and smoking? n In 1997, what was the average length of hospital stay for patients with HIV?

U. S. Bureau of the Census http: //www. census. gov n What is the number of people under age 18 living in poverty in Salt Lake County, Utah?

Wrap Up: Web Searching Tips Avoid search engines to locate statistics. n Use government agencies as starting points. n Search individual sites using terms: study, data, poll, report, survey, and research. n Narrow results being format-specific: figure, table, chart, graph, and caption. n

Wrap Up: Web Searching Tips Do not attempt to search for specific numbers. n Use “number-indicating” words: increase, decline, rise, fastest-growing, odds, and probability. n

Thank you for your time! Deborah E. Hile 587 -9247 dhile@lib. med. utah. edu