Health
Hospitals and health agencies often have extensive data on areas of high prevalence of health problems such as lead poisoning, asthma, slips, trips, and falls frequently caused by home health hazards and more. Healthy housing practitioners can work with healthcare providers to obtain and share data that identify specific geographic areas of concern without violating HIPAA regulations.
General
Healthy People DATA2020
DATA2020 is an interactive data tool which allows users to explore housing data related to Healthy People 2020 objectives. The site provides clear descriptions of the objectives, its baseline data, and the Healthy People 2020 targets. Data sources are identified along with how to find more information. [url; Healthy People 2020]
Health Indicators Warehouse
This is a single source for many national, state, and community health indicators. Along with indicators, it provides a listing of geographic availability, data sources, most recent date collected/available, and related government initiatives using the data. [url; HHS]
EJSCREEN
This environmental justice (EJ) mapping and screening tool, developed by the EPA, utilizes standard and nationally consistent data to highlight environmental burdens in communities with vulnerable populations. It offers a variety of data and mapping capabilities that users can use to access environmental and demographic information, at high geographic resolution, displayed in color-coded maps and standard data reports. EJSCREEN also combines environmental and demographic indicators to create EJ indexes. [url; EPA]
Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP)
HCUP is a national information resource of encounter-level healthcare data compiled from state data organizations, hospital associations, private data organizations, and the federal government. Databases can be used to identify, track, and analyze healthcare utilization, access, charges, quality, and outcomes. [url; AHRQ]
ICF Healthy Homes Data Toolkit
This matrix, developed by ICF International, outlines where to access specification and assessment guidelines, as well as data collection issues related to healthy housing. [pdf; NCHH]
Center on Society and Health, Virginia Commonwealth University
This academic research center works with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to study health implications of social factors on neighborhood and community environmental conditions. Data are available through research and reports on nationwide health conditions and the health of states, cities, communities, and neighborhoods. Projects of particular relevance include community mapping of life expectancy and relationship of income to health. [url; VCU]
Lead Poisoning
Healthy Homes and Lead Poisoning Surveillance System (HHLPSS)
Data and long-term monitoring of childhood lead poisoning is available through a software program obtained from the CDC. The HHLPSS tracks lead-related data such as screenings and confirmed cases of childhood lead poisoning, as well as non-lead housing characteristics related to negative health outcomes. Software must be requested and obtained from the CDC. [url; CDC]
CDC’s National Surveillance Data
CDC’s website provides background information on the blood lead level data collection and offers downloadable blood lead level charts. [url; CDC, 1997-2015]
- Blood Lead Levels
Children tested and confirmed to have elevated blood lead levels by State and Year (Children < 72 Months Old, 1997-2014). [url; CDC]
CDC’s State Surveillance Data
This CDC site contains links to blood lead level surveillance data, maps, and charts by state; it also includes county data. Because state blood lead testing policies and practices vary and local priorities determine which homes are assessed for housing hazards, data are not generalizable from state to state or local jurisdiction to jurisdiction. However, descriptive statistics can help users understand the approach used to assess housing units in a given location, allowing data to be used to make associations between the number of individuals in a given area and a specific housing hazard or health condition and geographic descriptors such as poverty, age of housing, tenancy, and health conditions. [url; CDC]
Asthma
Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS)
The BRFSS is a system of health-related telephone surveys that collect data from U.S. residents regarding their health-related risk behaviors, chronic health conditions, and use of preventive services. Data are provided at the state level. [url; CDC]
Asthma Call-Back Survey (ACBS)
This data covers lifetime and current asthma for children and adults (by region and race/ethnicity). The data include asthma symptoms, healthcare utilization, asthma knowledge, self-management, medication usage, cost of care, use of complimentary/alternative medicine, and modifications to the environment. [url; CDC, 2013]
Safety and Injury
Web-Based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS)
CDC’s interactive, online database provides fatal and nonfatal injury, violent death, and injury-related costs. [url, CDC]