231541 Identifying health disparities through local-level data in New York City

Tuesday, November 9, 2010 : 3:10 PM - 3:30 PM

Leena Gupta, MPH , Division of Epidemiology, NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, New York, NY
     
The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene is dedicated to collecting, analyzing and communicating data to monitor and improve the health of New Yorkers and to inform decision-making both within and outside of our agency.

Our annual Community Health Survey (CHS) collects data on a variety of health topics at the neighborhood level, which is a unique and informative approach to illuminating health disparities by geographic areas in New York City (NYC). Adults ages 18 years or older are randomly selected in each of 42 neighborhoods, generating a sample representative of the diverse racial/ethnic composition of NYC: more than half are black (23%), Hispanic (25%) or Asian (10%).

CHS data regarding fruit and vegetable consumption, obesity, and diabetes were instrumental in identifying neighborhoods in NYC with poor access to fresh produce. In turn, these data helped guide policies aimed at increasing the number of fresh food vendors in such neighborhoods. Future CHS data will be used in the evaluation of these efforts.

CHS data allow the agency to identify neighborhoods with consistently poor health outcomes. To address neighborhood-level disparities, District Public Health Offices, which measure and evaluate health issues specific to their specific catchment areas, were established to target these underserved populations through local programs.

Our efforts to collect local level data have yielded invaluable information about the health of NYC residents and have allowed us to serve and respond to the changing needs of the city's diverse population.

Learning Areas:
Public health or related research

Learning Objectives:
Compare and contrast different methods used to collect local data and local estimates about disease outcomes and risk factors; Understand the importance of local health data and how they relate to existing data when profiling community health and targeting health promotion efforts; Recognize the different ways local data can be used to more effectively target interventions and obtain funding to address racial and ethnic disparities in health.

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am qualified to participate in this panel discussion because I am a data analyst within the Division of Epidemiology at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and am familiar with our data sources and policies.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

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