Oral

Population health data at local and state levels are needed to address social disparities in health and evaluate and monitor progress in achieving the goals of national health care reform. Numerous Institute of Medicine studies, federal reports and non-governmental policy papers have urged local data collection. For example, the 2002 report on "Shaping a Health Statistics Vision for the 21st Century," jointly developed by the National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics, the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), and the DHHS Data Council, argued that a major gap in data and statistics that can inform national health policy is the absence of consistent data on local areas, states and the nation. The recent "State of the USA Health Indicators" report of the IOM called for developing health indicators data at local and state levels that are coordinated with national data. In addition, a scientific analysis and statement by the American Heart Association emphasized the importance of including local and state data as well as other information relevant to disparities in its recommendations for a national surveillance system for prevention and management of heart disease and stroke. Finally, the recent House and Senate health care reform bills both proposed steps to meet that need. These examples all emphasize an urgent need for comparable population health data at the local, state, and national levels. The proposed panel will present and discuss the results of the first national study of comprehensive health surveys conducted by states and state-based organizations. The study was co-funded by several NIH Institutes and Offices, and was conducted by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research. The panel will also explore possibilities for coordinating data collection at the local, state and national levels. The study examined both the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) and independent surveys. BRFSS, coordinated and co-funded by CDC, is conducted by all 50 states. BRFSS is designed to produce state-level data; some states add sample and extract local-level estimates. CDC separately develops estimates for counties and metropolitan statistical areas using data collected through statewide BRFSS samples that meet a size threshold. A dozen states and some local entities have developed their own comprehensive population health surveys to meet their needs for local and statewide data not available in BRFSS. The study examined independent surveys in California, Ohio, Arizona, Illinois, Colorado, North Carolina, Iowa, Hawaii, Utah, New Jersey, Missouri, and New York City. These independent health surveys are generally not coordinated with any federal agency or with other states. The panel features survey leaders in federal agencies and independent surveys. In addition to presenting the results of the study, the panel will discuss how these state and federal surveys could be coordinated and aggregated to enhance data that will be able to identify health disparities, monitor progress in achieving the goals of national health care reform at the local, state and national levels simultaneously, and enhance the research mission of the National Institutes of Health. The panel will discuss federal legislative efforts to develop a coordinated system of national, statewide and local health surveys would be responsive to the needs of health services researchers as well as to federal health policy makers.

Session Objectives: At the end of this session, participants will be better able to Describe the stakeholder groups that are supporting development of statewide local health surveys and improved coordination of federal, state and local population health data. Identify the federal, state, and some local health surveys that could be networked to form a national system of health survey data. Demonstrate the effectiveness of using these information to identify health disparity

CE Credits: Medical (CME), Health Education (CHES), Nursing (CNE), Public Health (CPH)