Introduction
Vital and Health Statistics
Demographic and Socioeconomic Statistics
Other Guides to Statistics
Want to save time on your research after this session?
Statistics
-Health Data on the Web, Public Health Information & Data Tutorial
Choosing a topic
Consider the North Carolina 2010 Health Objectives. These are measurable health targets that have been identified as high priority in our state. Grant proposals related to these objectives will have a greater chance of success, and these grant writers should also have an easier time finding information related to their topic. Choose a Health Objective then scroll to the bottom of the page to NC Data for an idea of the kinds of statistics that you can find.
Availability of information on your topic
2006 results are recent for searches run in 2009. It takes quite a bit of time to run a survey, handle the results, then make them public.
Reporting systems often focus on the most numerous population groups (such as White, African American, Hispanic) and health problems or habits that are extremely common or that have been flagged as public health targets (obesity, diabetes, cancer, amount of exercise or vegetable intake). IF you decide to research lower-visibility topics such as Hmong speaking peoples or marasmus, you will almost certainly NOT find information for Guilford County. Your best bet would be to search for a survey carried out somewhere else and published on the web or in a journal article. Try searching your topic in Google or in PubMed.
Current Health Statistics from the Guilford County Department of Public Health - the annual Guilford County Data Book typically includes leading leading causes of death, communicable diseases, maternal and child health (teen pregnancy rates, birth weights) and injuries. Handy if you want a quick snapshot of leading causes of death. A newer and niftier offering from this office is the Health Status of Guilford County Map Databook 2008
To find a list of the most common causes of death in Guilford county classified by year, county, race, gender, age, and Hispanic origin, search Leading Causes of Death in North Carolina (North Carolina State Center for Health Statistics)
If you'd like to search for statistics on a particular cause of death in a particular population in Guilford County, use the Detailed Mortality Search from the NC SCHS.
Also available from the NC SCHS: North Carolina Live Birth Data - Find Guilford County birth counts by year, mother's race, age, Hispanic origin, and education, child's gender and birth weight, as well as trimester prenatal care began, plurality of birth, and gestation period.
Printing/downloading from the NC SCHS: Results from these searches are displayed in html UNLESS you check the box titled Download to MS Excel at the bottom of the search screen.
Health Data Available from NCSCHS (North Carolina State Center for Health Statistics) - includes
NC Catch - County health and population profiles, not broken down by race *except for a few* of the factsheets in the set that are provided by the command "Print county profile." Must use Internet Explorer.
Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) - Random telephone survey of state residents aged 18 and older conducted by state health departments (including N.C.) with support from the Centers for Disease Control. State and some county data available (the most detailed data are available at the STATE level)
- Choose 2007 then Guilford County. Lots of info here! The most interesting categories for you will probably be North Carolina Added Questions
- Choose a topic such as Risk Factors > Adults who have a BMI greater than 25
- Note the title and description above the chart.
- Looking down this chart, note the racial breakdown (White and Other). If you change the demographic group to African American Female, what happens to the chart?
Print/download: Statistics are displayed in a web page. You must use your web browser's file commands to print or save.
Child Health Assessment and Monitoring (CHAMP) - Survey about children aged 0 - 17. Only state level data. First implemented January 2005. Choose Annual Survey Results to see most recent results. Topics include breastfeeding, nutrition, food insecurity, etc.
Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) - Survey of N.C. mothers who have recently given birth. State level, some regional also available. Guilford County is located in the Northwest Region. 2001 - 2003 topics include alcohol use, breastfeeding, folic acid, mother's BMI before pregnancy, etc.
You have a choice between most recent data or geographically closest data (all state level except some older results that are broken down by region, including P.C. Region II Northwest, which includes Guilford and other northwestern counties).
- Set Choose a Region to P.C. Region II Northwest
- Choose a topic, such as Alcohol Use
- Choose a question, such as Alcohol Use in the Past 2 Years
Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) (Centers for Disease Control) - Surveys of 9th-12th grade students. For North Carolina, local data is only available for Charlotte-Mecklenburg County. Surveys conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and by state and local departments of health and education. Youth Online: Comprehensive Results is the online reporting system.
Youth Online: North Carolina topics include dietary behaviors, alcohol and other use, etc.
Print/download: Results are displayed in web page form. Use your browser's file commands to print or save.
Access to public health reports and data on a variety of topics. Some systems provide data at the county level.
State and County QuickFacts (U.S. Census Bureau) - Brief report includes total population, population by race/ethnicity, and totals for educational attainment, income, etc.
American FactFinder (U.S. Census Bureau) - Gateway to U.S. Census Data, including the American Community Survey. This annual survey includes information on population, education, income, and more. There are a great number of detailed tables available for you to search and use.
To find data on African American population and education in Guilford County:
Downloading: Hit Print/Download (top of screen), then Download.
To search for other data: Hit the Tables link in the breadcrumbs across the top of the page to search for and use other tables for Guilford County.
DemographicsNow - Database that allows you to see and compare population, income, and race/ethnicity at the county, place, and even zip code level.
Health Statistics - List of Web sites with state-level information.
Faststats (National Center for Health Statistics, CDC) - Alphabetical list of brief statistics by topic.
Statistical Warehouse (Regional OneSource) - Library subscription database. Allows you to browse or search for demographic, health and other statistics often down to the county level. Pulls data from the U.S. Census Bureau, the National Center for Health Statistics, and many other sources. This makes for a nice "one stop" searching experience BUT statistics will sometimes be older than those available through federal or state websites.
CDC Wonder (Centers for Disease Control) - Wide variety of reports and numeric public health data. The A to Z Index tab can be helpful when scanning for data sets on your topic.
North Carolina Statistical and Data Sources on the Web - List of free, publicly accessible sources compiled by the state library. Arranged alphabetically by topic.
